Dragonball - A Warrior's Tale
by SteelVoltage
Summary: Seven's pod was knocked off course and as an infant he remained in cryo-stasis for seventy years. Recovered by scientists, he became their test subject until symapthizers set him free. This is the story of how he rises to power as one of the last Saiyans in the universe. New chapters every Sunday and Wednesday.
1. Beginning

_ARRIVAL, PLANET VEGETA..._

_Seven shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was almost there. The timer on the screen read one hour. The excruciating ride was almost over. It had been too long; seven days was too long for him to be left to his thoughts._

_Unlike his cell, where Seven was also isolated, he couldn't move around in the pod. That seemed to make it worse. The fact that there was less than an inch between the inside of the pod and seemingly endless void didn't help either. It terrified him, to the point that each time he hit some sort of turbulence in hyperspace, he found himself shaking._

_An empty stomach, parched mouth, and nerves wracked him. He tried to put the suffering out of his mind, but it wasn't that simple. Dying of thirst and hunger was a slow agony. Whenever he went to sleep, he would close his eyes and pray that when he woke he was back on Sorn. Sleep, on the other hand, came easy and Seven spent most of his time doing it. When he did wake he sat daydreaming of the skimpy meals they gave him in his cell and the book he had stuffed under his pillow._

_If only he had thought to grab it and bring it with him._

_His cell had been familiar, it had been his life. It was a strange notion, to think of such a place as home, but a person didn't always get to pick their home. Planet Vegeta was supposed to be Seven's home, but he had never been there before. Not since he was an infant, and he didn't remember those days at all. His people were waiting for him and he feared that the sort of hostile reaction he would receive._

_Y_ou're a dead man. Might as well open that hatch and fall into space. Save yourself the suffering you'll feel when you land_, the King's voice said._

_The last hour seemed like an eternity. Seven tried to steel himself for what was about to happen, but found no solace. How was facing certain death ever an easy thing? He regretted leaving behind Sorn. At least there, he could have lived in the desert, got by somehow. He might have been hunted and shunned, but at least he could live under the open sky and have peace._

_That was a lot better than flying to his grave. Wasn't it?_

_The timer ended and hyperspace fell away, the twisting ripple of light dissipating before his eyes. Floating debris pummeled his pod and Seven winced, praying it wouldn't puncture straight through the thin metal._

_Despite his maddening anxiety, the pod proved to be durable, plowing through the debris with reckless speed. The incessant pelting went on for minutes with no end. So, he sat forward, trying to get a look out the circular viewport. All he saw was a broad ring of space dust, glinting in the local's star's orange light._

_"Computer where are we?"_

_"COORDINATES MATCH PLANET VEGETA."_

_Seven didn't see any planet, not for as far as his eyes could make out. As he traveled further, the only thing he could see beyond the ring of dust was an asteroid field. It was composed of giant misshapen stones, tumbling end over end through the void._

_How did he tell a computer that it was wrong? Maybe the maps and information that had been stored in the pod were out of date. That was the only thing that made sense. Planets didn't just up and fly away, did they?_

_What could he do now though? Seven couldn't just go back to Sorn. He wouldn't make it, not another seven days without food or water. Cryo-stasis wasn't an option either. His pod wasn't equipped with it, at least not for an adult. He had been placed inside of a cryo-stasis capsule when he was a just an infant, but it had to be removed for him to fit in as he did now._

_"I'm going to die."_

* * *

#1

_FOURTEEN YEARS EARLIER..._

_SORN SYSTEM, AGE 805_

Doctor Gratz tapped the display with a hooked claw and swiped to the side, bringing the current panel onto the much larger view screen on the wall. The video simulation showed a small blip moving across space. The doctor froze the simulation when a large asteroid appeared on the projected path.

"As you can see, after exiting a hyperspace nearly seventy five years ago, the alien craft set a straight path to Sorn. Due to our calculations, the asteroid's interference was an anomaly," he continued the video. "The craft's pilot, or navigation computer, probably detected it and tried to change course. It must've failed to compensate properly and made impact."

The blip flashed red as it hit the asteroid. It then bounced away, hurling at high speeds towards a large sphere that indicated a gas giant.

"Perhaps the collision damaged its engines, or life support. I'm not sure. But, after impact the craft didn't resume its original course. It fell into high orbit around Gapin and has remained there all these years. It has a beacon sending out radio pulses every twelve hours. That is how we tracked it. If we can recover this vessel intact, it might provide us with valuable technologies or information on our interstellar neighbors."

The doctor brushed the wispy mustache on his snout and made long eye contact with the crew. There were a dozen of them, wearing bright orange jumpsuits, knelt next to their flight helmets, tails tucked beneath them. "This might change everything for Sorn and bring our people onto the galactic stage. So, I urge you take the most caution when recovering the vessel. Think of it as a rare and valuable artifact. Treat it like you would a small infant, with the utmost care. Is that clear?"

"Yes it is Doctor," said their Captain voice seething with frustration. The Captain stood tall, and was rather bulky for a male, with broad shoulders and wilting scales. His age and experience were apparent, the way the crew moved on his every word. He leaned against the bulkhead, helmet tucked under one arm. The snarl on his muzzle told the Doctor that he wasn't amused. The Doctor understood. It was never easy to have someone doubting your capabilities. But, he hoped that the reminder would at least help them focus on the task at hand. Better to say something than nothing at all.

"Good. That is all I can ask of you," Gratz said. "May the gods bless your journey."

The crew filed out, down the long corridor to the ship's hangar. Gratz closed the hatch and settled down in the captain's seat. He turned off the simulation and switched over to the ships forward cameras. Gapin filled the entire screen-a blue gas giant swirling and churning with clouds of white. On his first expedition into space, Gratz had let out a child-like gasp upon seeing Gapin in person. It was the jewel of their little star system.

He had always dreamed of visiting other systems and this was the route to that dream coming true. The alien ship had a hyperdrive. That was the most important part about it. His people had only come so far in developing their own-they were still on the border line. They could only sustain a jump for a few million miles. That wasn't nearly far enough to make a real difference. Progress had ground to a halt. They were missing something simple in their calculations and were at the cusp of becoming a star-faring civilization. Gratz hoped to find that missing piece through reverse engineering the alien craft.

The salvagers flew triangular craft with pincer-like arms. They spread out from their cluster, speeding towards the jovian planet in a V-formation. Chugging along behind them was a flat barge, which they would set the pod onto and strap it in place for towing. The Doctor rapped his fingers on the arm of the chair as they approached the craft. The alien ship itself was a sphere of gray metal with a small porthole in the front. It had a set of grooves along the top of it, which appeared to indicate some sort of hatch.

The most amazing part, at least that Gratz had found, was that there was no visible thrusters or engines. Yet, it had traveled all this way. He yearned to dig into its inner workings and understand them. Two salvager ships took hold of the pod and maneuvered it onto the barge. Three more worked to belt it down. A few times Gratz watched as it bucked wildly, almost breaking away from the barge. Getting a round object secured on a flat one was no easy task, but they didnt' have months and the funds to develop an easier way.

Much to his relief, the barge, towed by the salvagers started back to the mothership.

Rising from the Captain's chair, the sprinted down the corridor and towards the hangar. He stood, rubbing his scaled hands together as the bulky airlock doors popped open, releasing a cloud of steam with a loud hiss. The cargo crane's arm swung over the top of the alien ship and lowered chains. The crewman scrambled to remove the securing belts and the chains wrapped around it.

Gratz licked at the sides of his snout, "Yes-careful-careful."

The Captain jumped down off the barge and started waving his hands, indicating to the crane operator to lift the ship. Gratz had to swallow a lump in his throat as he watched it getting lifted and moved over to the gyroscopic platform they had created to examine it. His tail twitched nervously behind him. The Captain grunted, his tongue snaking between pointed teeth.

"A simple job," he muttered. "Hopefully it's worth the billions of crystals your people spent on it."

"It will be. This little pod holds more technological information than our race has accumulated in the past century."

The pod came to rest on the gyro-platform and the crewmen removed the chains. The Doctor approached it as a hunter would a wild animal on the hunt, while trying not to faint at the sight of the strange alloy its hull was made out of. He needed to get samples of that right away. Climbing up the ladder, he came to look at the little view-port, which was crusted over with ice crystals. Taking his clawed fingers he carefully chipped it away to get a look inside.

Gratz let out a gasp.

"What is it?" the Captain said.

"An extraterrestrial," Gratz responded in a low voice. "A small one-perhaps a child."

Gratz saw a seat inside of the pod, on it sat a long capsule. Within the capsule he saw a flat faced creature with dark strands of hair, its pale flesh covered in ice crystals.

"Alive?" the Captain said. "Should we retrieve the weapons?"

"No! Gods no-I think it's in a cryo-stasis capsule. Get me an electro-scanner. I want to figure out how we can get this thing open."


	2. Imprisoned

#2

_EIGHT DAYS EARLIER..._

_AGE 819_

Subject Seven finished his last push up. Beads of sweat rolled off the side of his face, splattering on the cold concrete floor. His arms trembled from the exertion. He jumped to his feet, stretching a few times before plopping down on his cot. He needed water, but they never just gave it to him-only at the scheduled feeding times.

_Your name is Spinac and you are a Saiyan, proud and true._

The voice was back, and the urge to kill grew stronger than it had ever been before. He fought against it, shaking his head. But, in his mind's eye he saw the King-a warrior with a tall spire of red-brown hair and a thick goatee. He wore a regal cape over his armor and always bore a smug look. He demanded obedience and subjugation, and it was everything Seven could do to resist.

_Your mission is to eradicate all life on Planet Sorn and activate your retrieval beacon. This is your trial, if you ever wish to return to your people._

The King was always there-in the back of his mind. He often crept back when Seven had thoughts of aggression or fear. The King's commands kept him from sleeping, pushing and urging him to train day and night, to get stronger, to break out of his flimsy prison and enact a war of genocide.

But, it was never that easy, was it?

He realized when he was six years old that he could have just punched through the concrete and stormed off. At this point, if he were to release his spirit energy, the entire building would be reduced to rubble. More than once he had slipped out of the prison to visit the world outside. He could move faster than their cameras could see. But, something always drew him back. It was a stark world out there, one he didn't fully understand. There was no one there that cared about him. He didn't have a family. The closest thing he had to a family were his caretakers and jailers.

_Your name is Spinac and you are a Saiyan, proud and true._

_Your mission is to eradicate all life on Planet Sorn and activate your retrieval beacon. This is your trial, if you ever wish to return to your people._

"No!" he said and shook his head.

The voice of the King never let him rest, it always came back with vengeance.

_YOUR MISSION IS TO ERADICATE ALL LIFE ON PLANET SORN AND ACTIVATE_-

The cell doors opened with a whir and Seven stood again, gazing into the harsh white light. A short figure, shrouded in yellow robes entered. The Sornians were a race of reptilian creatures, with long snouts and tufts of hair upon their heads. They were also weaklings. Seven could kill any of them without an effort. They didn't understand how to manipulate their spirit energy.

But, that was what he felt like he _had_ to think. In reality, he loved Doctor Shali. She was like a mother to him. Ever since she was a little boy her soothing voice and calm demeanor seemed to keep him from destroying everything around him. Somehow, she always knew when he needed her.

_That's because they're monitoring you, fool._

Seven mentally shrugged the negative voice. So what? They only had his survival in best interest. He was their guest, as Doctor Shali often called him.

"Training hard, I see?" Shali said and sat down on his cot.

"Keeps me busy," Seven said. "Were you able to get me any more books?"

Shali snarled, exposing her teeth. At first, as a boy, Seven had thought the expression to be menacing, but he realized quickly was the Sorian's way of smiling. "I did."

She produced the leather-bound book and set it on the bed. He bent over and picked it up, feeling its smooth cover with his fingertips. Words were engraved and painted on the front.

_A Warrior's Tale._

He smiled wide as his face allowed, eager to delve straight into it. "This is amazing. Thank you."

"It wasn't easy to get that one approved. But, it has a strong moral in its story. Next time I visit, I want to discuss that."

Seven nodded. He no doubt would have the whole thing read in a few hours. He would read it two or three times more before she returned with a new one. He loved to absorb knowledge and really enjoyed the way that the Sornian language flowed. It was far more eloquent and elaborate than the harsh Saiyan tongue that Seven had lodged into his mind.

"Have you had anymore visions or dreams Seven?"

"Yes-the same memories and they feel like they're getting stronger," Seven said.

He never truly told her the horrible things that his memories wanted him to do, just the things they taught him. He often described some of it-such as the training, the fighting skills, the dreams of battle and glory. He knew all about his Saiyan people, even though he had never met them or set foot on Planet Vegeta. He thought at first that this was a normal thing, to have memories that you never experienced. But, Dr. Shali said it wasn't. None of the Sornians had those sorts of memories. Seven chalked it up to being a Saiyan thing.

"Take this pill," she said, turning her palm up. It was a small white capsule, nothing special to it. "It will help you rest."

From within her robe she also drew out a canteen. Seven was glad to have the water after his workout. She uncapped it for him and handed it over. He plucked the pill from her scaled palm and rolled it in his fingers. Sleep sounded wonderful. He also loved the pills as they quieted the King's voice for hours sometimes. But, it seemed that the pills effect lasted less and less as the years went on.

The pill went down easy with the water and he finished the entire canteen within seconds.

"Sleep well Seven," Shali said, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. She rose and went through the doors, her long tail swaying behind.


	3. Predicament

#3

Gratz studied the General's orders as he waited for the psychologist Doctor Shali to arrive. The language was concise and clear. The General was here to size up the threat that their subject presented. If he ascertained that the threat was enough, their subject was to be put to death on the spot. Gratz did everything he could to fight the rage that swelled up in his stomach. It made him sick. His throat felt dry as the desert. He reached over and grabbed the pitcher of water in the middle of the table and poured himself a glass. He quenched his thirst with a long drink, taking down half the glass.

"She was visiting with Subject Seven and should be here any minute," Gratz said, setting the glass down. He had to resist the urge to down the rest.

The General made no response-being the brick house that he was. His snout was squared, his eyes black beads behind a heavy brow. He had deep blue scales, an indication of being born in the smaller southern continent on Sorin. Scars and flaking scales covered the side of his head, where he no doubt had a piece of shrapnel in his years as a soldier. He wore thick armor with polished steel plates that glinted from the glow of the overhead lights.

The door to the conference room opened with a soft hiss and Doctor Shali entered, her tail swaying behind her, betraying her nervousness. She sat and folded her clawed hands in front of her.

"I am sorry for being late," she said and nodded. "Shall we begin this meeting?"

Gratz slid the sheet of paper over to her.

She read it for a long moment. "You're here to evaluate us?"

The General cleared his throat. "Not you per se. Your performance in this project and your reports to the High Council has been exemplary. The High Council is concerned about that abomination you have still alive down there. Based on your reports, it was sent here to wage war against us?"

"It's a little more complicated than that. But, yes-the original purpose of our alien captive was to conquer this planet and prepare for extraction," Gratz explained.

"Did you recover this intelligence from the alien itself?" the General asked.

"No-actually we recovered that data from the space pod that we examined," Gratz said.

"I need you to elaborate," the General said.

Gratz sighed and sat forward in his chair. "Well General, we were able to extract a lot of information from the ship's on-board computers once we broke their encryption algorithm. That was not easy, it took us years. Subject Seven was in a state of suspended animation when we found him, within a cryo-stasis capsule inside the space pod. That pod itself was hooked up to the main computer. My theory is that during the initial part of the flight, perhaps the first month or two, the subject was conditioned by audio and visual stimuli."

Shali cut in. Gratz didn't mind as she was a psychologist and had far more expertise in explaining such things.

"Subject Seven was just a child, perhaps even an infant, when we pulled him out of the space pod. He was not some killer creature and certainly couldn't harm much at all. His survival instincts were _far_ stronger than our own young, but he was still vulnerable. The psychological conditioning he was put through as an infant was to prepare him for his mission, if he made to childhood.

"He was provided subconscious instruction on a variety of things-such as the language and culture of his people, fighting skills, how to operate his space pod, and how to scavenge for food. Many of these things he's shared with me, thinking they were dreams. As he's gotten older I think he understands what they are now, but I can't be sure of it.

"I believe his own people sent him here without regard to whether or not he would succeed. I fear that they might have discarded him, thinking him weak or incapable based on genetics. This mission he was given is more than likely a proving ground."

The General betrayed no emotion, his face still hard as his steel armor. "Has it displayed any signs of aggression?"

"Subject Seven is very much an adolescent male and reminds me much of my own son. But, no he hasn't done anything out of the ordinary. He is eager to learn and actually loves to read. When he's not reading, he is often training, and seems to enjoy physical activity despite the restraint of his cell," Shali replied.

"He did show aggression as a youngling, but we realized soon after doing some blood work that he had a vast amount of hormones being released into his bloodstream from glands at the base of his tail. We surgically removed the tail and since then he's been largely pacified," Gratz added.

"I find it hard to believe that they would send a single infant to a planet to destroy it. As a military strategist, I would never commit any sort of attack force without confidence that it would succeed. If they truly are as advanced as you make them out to be-we're missing a piece still," the General said.

"I think I know where you're going with this General," Dr. Gratz said. "We can't let fear dominate us. These aliens are our enemy. They sent Subject Seven to us to enact genocide against our species. That, in my humble opinion, was an act of war. I won't begin to even lecture you in the art of war, but you should know better than anyone. Intelligence wins wars and as you said we're missing a key piece. If we destroy Subject Seven we might recover this information. That might cost us someday in the future, as I doubt our enemy will simply let us live without contest."

The General nodded. "Tell me-based on what you know, what would be the best way to neutralize it?"

Gratz hesitated, hoping that Kali would take this one. She didn't. Being a female, no doubt her maternal instinct had given her a bond with the subject. She had cared for him since he was a youngling. That wasn't an easy thing to ignore.

"Well-the Subject often takes sedative pills to help with his dreams and the stress of his psychological condition. He trusts Doctor Shali to administrate them. If one were to be laced with poison, at the right dosage, I think even a being of his strength would die."

The General rose to his feet. "This concludes this meeting. I will make my report and my assessment to the High Council. Your time and cooperation has been appreciated, Doctors."

The General turned on heel and with a smooth grace strode out of the room. The double doors closed behind him.

Shali stared at Gratz for a long minute, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "They're going to make me kill him. What have you done?"

Gratz pressed both of his palms to the side of his head. "What choice did I have? This is the High Council."


	4. Escape

#4

_SEVEN DAYS EARLIER..._

"Seven, wake up," Shali said.

"Hrn-"

The Saiyan sat up, the white light stabbing at his eyes from the entrance to his cell. Doctor Shali's figure was shadowed by it, and as she approached her features became clear. Her thick scaled brow was furrowed in concern and her tail appeared to be swaying back and forth-a sign of fear or nervousness. Seven let his feet drop to the floor and rubbed his eyes.

"What's going on? Have you come to discuss _A Warrior's Tale?_"

Shali waved her hand. "No Seven, this is very important. You have to come with me-now."

"We're leaving?"

"Yes."

He followed her out of his cell and into the main corridor. He was surprised that she was leading him out without an armed guard escort. Seven had changed cells and even facilities before, but never without a whole bunch of security and secrecy. This time, it was just Shali. He wondered what was going on until he saw the two guards that normally stood outside his cell collapsed on the ground.

Shali held a wand in her hand that sparked and sputtered. She had electrocuted them. Flicking a switch with her thumb she turned it off and slid it into lab coat. Seven put a hand on her shoulder, turning her around.

"Doctor Shali, what are you doing?"

"I don't have time to explain right now."

"Did you disable the security cameras on this level?"

"Yes, let's get to the elevator."

"No," Seven said. "I never take the elevator when I leave this place."

"Wait-you've left?"

He didn't bother answering her, but instead led her away from the elevator, to a maintenance hatch at the end of the corridor. The door was never locked and this time didn't prove to be an exception. He opened the door and stepped inside. There wasn't much in there other than a shelf with cleaning chemicals and some tools. At the back of the room was a large access duct that led to the ventilation system. It was usually was locked, but Seven had no trouble popping it off with his strength.

"Where are we going?"

"To the hangar. Can we get there this way?" Shali asked.

"Of course. The entire facility has ventilation," Seven said. He smirked at her and climbed inside.

The ducts were dusty and cramped, and the climb was long. Seven stopped several times to wait for Doctor Shali to catch up. She wasn't physically strong and had probably never exerted herself like this. He heard her gasping for air during the long climb up to the top level of the facility, where the hangar was located. The elevator would have been faster, but the security cameras would have caught them had they gone that way.

They reached the vent inside the hangar, which was at ground level. Seven could see straight across the polished stone floor through the gaps in the horizontal bars. Various rotor-driven aircraft were parked here, and at the far end he could see a spherical pod. Seven had seen it before, both in person, and in the strange memories that plagued him. It was the ship that he had traveled here on as an infant. Doctor Gratz had the door open and looked to be making preparations inside.

Seven popped the grate off and crawled out, only rising to a low crouch. He offered his arm to Doctor Shali, helping her to her feet. Her lab coat was covered in dust and she looked exhausted after the long climb.

The main door to the hangar bay was open Seven could see the sky, black and glittering with a thousand gems of starlight. The wide open desert spread out before him. If he wanted to, he could disappear into it, without ever being seen. None of them could track his movements, not at full speed.

Gratz yelped in surprise and fear when he heard their approach,spinning around wide-eyed. Seeing that they weren't guards, Seven noticed him relax visibly. He had a tablet computer in his hand and proceeded tapping it with his hooked claw. It looked like he was running some sort of diagnostic.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Seven asked.

"You must leave this place, go back to your homeworld," Gratz said.

_I can't return. Not without wiping out your entire race. Someone has to come here too and inspect my work first. If I am worthy, then I may return._

"I don't get it."

Shali leaned against the pod, resting. "They're going to kill you. They fear that you are a threat to the security of this planet."

"I just sit in confinement. I haven't hurt anyone," Seven said. "Why now?"

"It's not based on what you've done, but what you _could_ do," Gratz said. "It's above our heads, the High Council-the planet's leadership are making this decision to end your life. We don't agree with it, so we're setting you free."

_Like those fools could kill me, _Seven thought.

But, that was more the King's voice than his own.

He tried to shrug off the aggressive feeling rising inside of him. It was as if they had lit the fires of war in his body. Every ounce of his being wanted to blow up the entire facility and go on a violence-fueled rampage. His vision blurred and he felt his fists clench hard. Veins popped out of his neck and he could feel his arms and legs trembling, eager to move.

_No!_

With a loud screech, the hangar doors began to close. The entire room was suddenly bathed in red light. Sirens sounded, howling in protest to his escape. The doors at the inner entrance opened up and a dozen armed guards rushed in, leveling their blaster pistols at Seven and the Doctors.

"Halt!" their leader said, stepping forward.

"Get behind the pod, it will protect you from any blaster fire," Seven said.

"Wait-what are you doing?" Gratz said, but Shali pulled him behind the pod before he could protest any further.

_No blasts. I need to make this clean._

_I'll just knock them out._

With a flicker of motion, Seven disappeared. He reappeared behind the guard leader, and dropped him with a chop to the neck. The others spun around with cries of fear, leveling their weapons. They unleashed a volley of plasma bolts, which met only empty air.

As a blur, he moved among them, his foot thumping off several heads with a single spin kick.

It felt good to let loose a little, to fight. The rage he felt had started to subside, and he was filled with a never before experienced euphoria.

It was almost... gleeful.

It took every bit of his restraint not to smile like a lunatic as he took out the rest of the guards with swift blows and strikes. It wouldn't be long before more guards arrived. He could fight them all day, but that wouldn't accomplish anything or get them any closer to getting out of there safely.

He appeared beside Gratz and Shali. Both doctors let out a howl of fear-they hadn't expected him. No doubt in their eyes, he had just been on the other side of the hangar. But, their perception of time was far different than his, especially while in motion.

"I don't want to leave, but I also don't want to hurt anyone else," Seven said.

"I'm glad you see now," Gratz said. "I'll get the hangar doors open."

Shali grabbed Seven and pulled him in close-a hug. The sense of elation he felt from the fight melted in an instance. Sadness crept into the back of his throat and stung his eyes. Tears welled there in that long moment in her embrace. Shali had been the only person to ever show him true kindness and understanding. She spent her time checking on him, giving him books to read. She had been like his mother-if he'd ever had one.

"Stay strong," she said, but it was clear she was weeping by the strange grunting sounds she made. The Sornians were so different than Saiyans physically, but it didn't matter. They felt the same emotions and understood the same things.

She was much shorter than he was, even at his young age, but he crouched down and looked into her beady black eyes.

"Thank you Doctor, for everything."

Planting a kiss on her cheek, he turned away and jumped into his pod. Even though this was his first time in it, he understood how to operate it. Subconsciously, his fingers found the controls, tapping the button to close the hatch. It closed with a sealing pop and he felt a vibration beneath him as the engines spun to life. The pod's controls were activated by bio-metrics that were meant mostly to prevent hijacking. Doctor Gratz had studied the craft extensively, but without being a Saiyan, he never had been able to pilot it.

"Plot a course to Planet Vegeta," Seven said.

_You fool. If you return without completing your mission-they'll kill you,_ the King's voice said.

"COURSE PLOTTED, EMBARKING NOW," the onboard computer said in the Saiyan language.

Blue-white energy sparked to life around the pod. Gratz managed to get the hangar doors opening again. Once the crack was big enough, the pod flew out, leaving behind a bright streak as it took to the skies. The entirety of it shook violently as it ascended into the upper atmosphere.

Seven found himself pressed into the seat by the increased g-force.

"What am I doing?" he muttered.

A moment later, the ship broke free of the atmosphere and entered the blackness of space. Seven looked out the pod's view-port in awe as they passed by Sorn's barren pock-marked moon. The strange light reflecting off of it seemed to pull him in somehow and he felt the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck rise. It was as if the lunar energy had a power to it, one only he understood.

But, the feeling was gone before long and he felt the pod jerk hard. Suddenly, space around him began to spiral and bend, as if he were looking at it through the ripples in a pond.

"How long until I arrive at Planet Vegeta?"

"ESTIMATION: SEVEN DAYS, FOUR HOURS, FIFTEEN MINUTES, AND TWENTY THREE SECONDS."

The Saiyan youth closed his eyes. It was going to be a long ride.


	5. Ruin

#5

_ARRIVAL, PLANET VEGETA..._

Seven shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was almost there. The timer on the screen read one hour. The excruciating ride was almost over. It had been too long; seven days was too long for him to be left to his thoughts.

Unlike his cell, where Seven was also isolated, he couldn't move around in the pod. That seemed to make it worse. The fact that there was less than an inch between the inside of the pod and seemingly endless void didn't help either. It terrified him, to the point that each time he hit some sort of turbulence in hyperspace, he found himself shaking.

An empty stomach, parched mouth, and nerves wracked him. He tried to put the suffering out of his mind, but it wasn't that simple. Dying of thirst and hunger was a slow agony. Whenever he went to sleep, he would close his eyes and pray that when he woke he was back on Sorn. Sleep, on the other hand, came easy and Seven spent most of his time doing it. When he did wake he sat daydreaming of the skimpy meals they gave him in his cell and the book he had stuffed under his pillow.

If only he had thought to grab it and bring it with him.

His cell had been familiar, it had been his life. It was a strange notion, to think of such a place as home, but a person didn't always get to pick their home. Planet Vegeta was supposed to be Seven's home, but he had never been there before. Not since he was an infant, and he didn't remember those days at all. His people were waiting for him and he feared that the sort of hostile reaction he would receive.

_You're a dead man. Might as well open that hatch and fall into space. Save yourself the suffering you'll feel when you land, _the King's voice said.

The last hour seemed like an eternity. Seven tried to steel himself for what was about to happen, but found no solace. How was facing certain death ever an easy thing? He regretted leaving behind Sorn. At least there, he could have lived in the desert, got by somehow. He might have been hunted and shunned, but at least he could live under the open sky and have peace.

That was a lot better than flying to his grave. Wasn't it?

The timer ended and hyperspace fell away, the twisting ripple of light dissipating before his eyes. Floating debris pummeled his pod and Seven winced, praying it wouldn't puncture straight through the thin metal.

Despite his maddening anxiety, the pod proved to be durable, plowing through the debris with reckless speed. The incessant pelting went on for minutes with no end. So, he sat forward, trying to get a look out the circular viewport. All he saw was a broad ring of space dust, glinting in the local's star's orange light.

"Computer where are we?"

"COORDINATES MATCH PLANET VEGETA."

Seven didn't see any planet, not for as far as his eyes could make out. As he traveled further, the only thing he could see beyond the ring of dust was an asteroid field. It was composed of giant misshapen stones, tumbling end over end through the void.

How did he tell a computer that it was wrong? Maybe the maps and information that had been stored in the pod were out of date. That was the only thing that made sense. Planets didn't just up and fly away, did they?

What could he do now though? Seven couldn't just go back to Sorn. He wouldn't make it, not another seven days without food or water. Cryo-stasis wasn't an option either. His pod wasn't equipped with it, at least not for an adult. He had been placed inside of a cryo-stasis capsule when he was a just an infant, but it had to be removed for him to fit in as he did now.

"I'm going to die."

He pressed his hands into his face. Saiyans wouldn't kill him-the simplest of things, food and water, would be his death.

"DETECTING ENERGY SIGNATURE."

The computer made a series of clicks and beeps. Seven glanced down at the little screen, which showed the coordinates. On the larger screen above it, an image appeared of what looked like a circular dome floating atop one of the larger asteroids. By the readings he was getting, it was massive-perhaps a few miles in diameter. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"YOU ARE BEING HAILED."

From behind the big dome and asteroid, a large ship emerged. It had a long sleek body, like some sort of aquatic predator, and dark paint that almost made it invisible. If not for its shape eclipsing the star's light, he probably wouldn't have noticed it.

As if it knew it was spotted, its engines flared white and it accelerated towards his pod. It easily caught up, flying passed and out of sight. He tried as he could to remember the controls to activate communications, but his memories were foggy and he was tired. Pushing random buttons just seemed like a bad idea. Last thing he needed to do was accidently eject. He just hoped it had seen him. There was no way it couldn't have.

Without warning, the pod jerked hard. So hard he fell forward and smashed his head off the inner wall of the hatch. Below him he felt the propulsion unit shuddering, as if it were fighting something. He killed the engines before they overworked themselves. The last thing he need was a meltdown. The pod began moving backwards and he tried to get an idea of what was going on, but the viewport was facing away from whatever had snagged him.

A moment later he saw the belly of the big ship and it cast its shadow over the pod. The pod started moving again, towed by the ship towards the big asteroid base. Were these Saiyans that had just captured him? He hoped not. Whoever they were though, he prayed they were friendly enough to give him some food and water.

The ship towed him along side the asteroid and down low, where they were greeted with giant metal doors in the rock face. The doors opened wide, revealing an empty antechamber illuminated with bright yellow arrows that he assumed gave directions to pilots. The ship towing his pod enter just barely fitting inside. It floated there for what seemed like minutes, before a second set of doors opened up into the much larger chamber.

It had a been an airlock.

His captors were bringing his ship inside what appeared to be a cavern carved into the asteroid. The pod was dropped onto the floor. Its impact marked a heavy thud. The impact bucked Seven out of his seat and he smashed his head on the top of the pod.

The big ship flew past after dropping him, lowering down deeper in the chamber and falling out of sight. He stayed in the pod, glancing through the view-port. From his vantage point, he aliens of all sorts of shapes and sizes scuffling about. Most of them had oblong shaped heads and dark skin covered in yellow and green spots. Most wore tight fitting jumpsuits and had armor with shoulder pads and skirts. Some of the important ones, pointing and giving orders, had a colored glass over one eye.

From behind a wedge shaped ship, a monstrous alien appeared, strutting his way towards Seven's pod. This alien was far different than the others, with deep purple flesh covered in bony studs. His robust figure seemed both muscular and fat at the same time. His angular eyes were drawn into a heavy scowl, and his black ridged lips pursed. Where the others wore armor, he did not. A few of the oblong headed aliens followed him, clutching arm blasters. Others that scuffled in his path were shoved out of the way and sent skidding across the floor.

He stopped in front of the pod, his big face filling the entire viewport. Seven leaned back, not sure what to make of it. The alien brute pounded on the outside, saying something, by the way his lips moved. But, through the dense metal and glass, Seven couldn't make out his words, let alone a sound.

Taking a deep breath, Seven reached to the controls and flipped the switch to open the hatch. It popped and hissed, lowering slowly. The big alien stood back, folding both arms.

"Ur gatch sah rand cara?" he said.

"I don't understand you," Seven replied.

"Oh-you speak Saiyan. Interesting," the purple alien said.

"I am a Saiyan," Seven said. He clamored out of the pod, nearly falling over. His legs were weak. In fact, his entire body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

"Ugh," he said. Despite all his effort, Seven couldn't stand and collapsed to one knee.

The alien began to converse with his comrades in the foreign tongue. They started to argue, at least that was how it seemed by how their voices escalated. One of them, one of the oblong head with yellow skin instead of dark, kept pointing to his pod.

"Water, please."

The big alien snapped his fingers and an oblong head rushed over handed him a canteen. He lowered it down to Seven. Without hesitation Seven snatched it from him and began guzzling. The water rushed into his mouth, filling it to the brim. It ran onto his chin and splattered on his chest, drenching his shirt. He drank until the canteen was dry and licked at the inside of it. The purple alien stole it back from him and handed it back to the oblong. Seven slumped down.

"Stand up."

Seven tried to stand, but he lacked the strength to do so. His limbs were lead. Never before did he feel so pathetic.

"I can't," he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. "I feel so heavy."

"It's the artificial gravity. Huh-interesting. You must be used to a weaker field. That's kind of weird, if you _are_ a Saiyan. Planet Vegeta had only a little less gravity than this, you should be able to handle it.."

Seven didn't say anything, he felt like he was going to pass out anyways. The purple alien crouched in front of him, cupping his face in his hands, looking him dead in the eye.

"What's your name?"

"Spinac is my birth name," Seven said. "But, I hardly deserve to be called it. Spinac is a warrior's name. I'm no warrior, just a disgrace."

The alien said something in the other language and suddenly two oblong heads grabbed him by his arms and lifted him up. They carried him like that across the hangar towards a flight of metal steps and a circular door.


	6. Ultimatium

#6

Seven never had so much meat before. And never meat so _delicious_. He gnashed into it, pulling charred strings of meat and fat into his mouth. He chewed vigorously letting grease and drippings roll down his chin and splatter onto the metal plate. The big purple alien sat across from him at the table, leaning back in his chair. His thick fingers curled around a tiny cup with some sort of steaming liquid in it. He sipped it every so often.

They sat in the mess hall. There were rows upon rows of metal tables, enough room for a small army. It was dark, except for a few overhead lamps which had been turned on, putting them in a pool of yellow light.

Seven finished the meat and cleaned the bone. He cracked it open and started sucking the marrow out.

"Your pod is an Attack Ball Mark Two-those haven't been manufactured in nearly a hundred years. You want to tell me where you got it?" the purple alien said and took a long drink.

Seven didn't reply for a long while, as he finished sucking. He tossed the bone down on the plate with a loud _clink._ It stacked atop the dozen or so others that he had cleared. He would have eaten the bones too, if it hadn't been too tough to bite through.

Seven couldn't recall a single moment where he felt this full. The Sornians always controlled his portions and feeding times. Satisfied, he leaned back in the chair and patted his stomach.

"Thank you for the meal. I had no time to get rations for my journey."

"Answer my damn question."

Seven shrugged. "I was sent in that pod as an infant to conquer a planet."

The purple alien cursed something in the other language. "It had numerous Saiyan markings on it as well. You look like a Saiyan with the dark hair and dark eyes. But, there are a lot of primate species in this galaxy. Where's your tail?"

"It was taken from me by the scientists on the planet I landed on. They told me after they removed it that it would help me calm down and not hurt anyone."

The purple alien started laughing. Seven just sat there, unsure of what was so funny.

"They were smart to do that. One look at a full moon and they would have had a real problem on their hands."

Seven felt a chill go down his spine. When he had left Sorn, he remembered looking at the moon and feeling the power that emanated from it. He remembered the visions the King showed him in his mind. Those visions included giant apes rampaging through cities, annihilating everything with humongous beams of energy fired from their mouths.

He shrugged off the notion, it wasn't important. Whatever power his tail once held, it was gone now.

"You look young, maybe less than fifteen years," the purple alien said. "The last Saiyans were sent out like seventy years ago, before Planet Vegeta's destruction. So how did you-"

Seven slammed his palms down on the table as he stood up. He remained like that for a long moment, eyes wide and slackjawed.

"Planet Vegeta was destroyed?"

The purple alien frowned. "Where do you think you _are_ kid? I built this base in the rubble of Planet Vegeta. A lot of spacers think this place is cursed, no one comes out here. It's a great place for a pirate hideout."

"H-How?"

"The Saiyans worked for Lord Frieza in his Planet Trade Organization. Rumor has it he was afraid of the Saiyans getting too powerful, so he blew up their planet. But, that was a big hush-hush thing for decades, until the truth came out after he died. Actually, funny story, Lord Frieza was killed by one of the last Saiyans some years later. Kid, you've been living under a rock for a long time. Maybe you need to watch some history videos."

Seven didn't know what to say. He collapsed into his chair and ran a hand through his long black hair. Just an hour ago, he had been preparing to die for failing his mission. Now, his mission no longer mattered. The single thing that he spent his entire life worrying about, gone in a blink of the eye. The Saiyans were gone. His failure didn't matter, neither did his years in captivity. No one was going to judge him and find him wanted of cowardice. With the Saiyans being wiped out, that meant that he was free, truly free, for the first time in his life. He didn't yet know what he was going to do with his freedom, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to cherish it.

"Kid-you look like you just seen a ghost," the purple alien said. "It's a real shame what those Saiyans did to their own kids. They were all into that genetic purity crap. They'd box up the ones that they found weak and send em off on some suicide mission as babies. Babies? I mean they were strong bastards, but what's a baby going to do? Honestly, they should have killed them with their own hands, if that were the case. I never heard of one of those babies surviving though. Still, you should be a hell of a lot older than you are."

"Cryo-stasis is why I didn't age," Seven said and swallowed hard. Why was his heart racing? All he had to do was get out of there. "My pod was knocked off its course and received some damages. I was found by scientists of the species I was meant to eradicate. They fixed my ship up and studied it. Studied me too, actually."

"Damn, you're some sort of lab rat then?"

"The people that studied me, they called me Subject Seven. I never earned my Saiyan name, but I'll go by Seven."

The purple alien burst into laughter again. "All right, _Seven, _you sure are an enigma, through and through. But, you owe me for saving your worthless life and giving you food. That means you're going to work for me. You Saiyans are naturally good at fighting and I need some muscle. My name is Amboss, but you'll call me Captain Amboss from now on, got it?"

"No," Seven said and shook his head. "I'm free now. I'm not going to be imprisoned by you too."

"Fair enough. But, we're pirates here and you're our captive. The only way you're going to leave is if you fight us. So, what's it going to be?"

"I'll fight. I won't be anyone's slave or prisoner. Never again," Seven said, narrowing both of his eyebrows.

His fists fell to his side, clenched tight. He wondered if he should make the first move. Amboss started shouting in the other language to the yellow skinned oblong head standing at the end of the mess hall. He shouted back and disappeared through the double doors.

"Hold on, we're not going to fight here. This is my mess hall, a sacred place. It's like holy ground for us pirates," Amboss said. "My First Mate Birne is setting up a place for us in the lower levels with plenty of room."

"I don't want to fight you," Seven said. "But, you're not giving me much choice."

"Don't want to fight?" Amboss said. "Never heard a Saiyan say that line before. It's not personal kid. It's the pirate way of life. We can't have you walking away and telling everyone about our base-"

"I won't tell anyone," Seven interrupted.

"You say that now, but when you see the bounty on our heads you might get tempted. We can't let you go, so we have two other options. Either you join us or we kill you. I'd rather you join us."

"Or I beat you and leave this place on my own?"

"I guess that's option three," Amboss said and snorted. "But, I seriously doubt you'll be doing that."

* * *

_For those of you that have been reading so far, I wanted to thank you. I've been writing this fervently, and the story is coming out of me so easily. I don't think it will always be like this, but for now I'm riding that euphoric wave. Seven's tale has just begun and I have a lot of plans for him. So, please stay tuned. I know this isn't the most action packed DBZ story, at least so far. But, it won't always be like that. I love writing battles._

_In this chapter I introduced two new characters Captain Amboss and First Mate Birne. I tried my best to describe these two, but it's not always easy to do so and paint an exact picture. Seeing that DBZ was a manga, exact pictures were a thing. So, I figured I'd give you a little aside on their appearance._

_Captain Amboss is one of Dodoria's race. Except, he isn't as fat, more musclar and instead of pink he's a deep purple (almost black.) First Mate Birne is of Appule's race, as well as any of the aliens I describe as "oblong heads." If you look up a picture of them, you'll see why.__  
_

_I also, while I have a chance, want to thank my editor/beta reader **Blue Card Hero**. He's been a big help and also inspired me to write a DBZ Fan Fic after reading a one-shot he posted. It's right here: _ s/11081333/1/Hope


	7. Battle

#7

"It doesn't have to be this way," Seven said. He stepped off the lift and into gigantic empty chamber, his voice echoing off the distant walls.

Amboss had led him to a second hangar-this one was mostly empty, other than a few random crates that were scattered about. A few hundred yards long, the hangar was a giant cave with a metal floor and a lattice of thick beams above, holding back the tons of rock that made up the asteroid. The lights were already on, basking the entire place with a dull yellow glow.

First Mate Birne stood with his back to the lift. He wore battle armor and had his hands clasped behind his back. Beside him stood another alien, a short creature with hardened skin and a smooth colorful shell on his back. Instead of a mouth, he had a set of strange looking mandibles and dozens of small black eyes. His hands were mitten-like pincers and his four legs led to curved hooks instead of feet.

"But it does, young Saiyan, it does. This is our code of honor," Amboss said.

"You're pirates, what does honor matter? Don't you steal and murder?"

"We're _pirates_ not _bandits_," Amboss said. "There's a difference in principal. We pirates have rules and a code of honor. We only kill those who don't surrender and only steal from those that can afford it. Bandits-well they're just bloodthirsty criminals."

"I don't really get it," Seven said, not able to help the flat expression on his face.

Amboss waved it off. "You'll see soon enough. Once you become a crew member."

"I'm not going to become your crewman. I am leaving this place," Seven said.

He lowered into a fighting stance, facing Amboss. He bent at the knees and raised both hands up in front of him, fists balled.

"I'm ready."

"You aren't going to fight the Captain. Not first. You have to get through Herm here and then myself," First Mate Birne said, his voice smooth like ice.

"Rules are rules," Amboss said and shrugged. "I didn't make them up."

Seven could feel the vein bulging in his forehead, pulsating with each of his heartbeats. His jaw clenched hard and it was everything he could do not the scream. Their little game was insulting.

_You are a Saiyan, a natural born warrior. Show them why you're not to be trifled with, _the King's voice said.

For once, Seven agreed with him. "Fine-I'll defeat you all and then I'll have my freedom."

"I like your spirit," Amboss said and grinned.

Herm stepped forward, his spindly legs clicking on the metal floor. He took on what Seven assumed was a stance, one mitten-hand high, the other one low. It looked awkward and Seven wondered if this was some kind of joke. So, he watched Herm for a long moment. The shelled alien just stood there, unblinking, like a statue.

_Fine, I'll take the initiative then!_

Seven rushed forward and threw a punch that immediately got caught in Herm's mitten grip. Next thing he knew he was tumbling through the air at high speeds. He landed on his shoulder, sliding across the metal floor until the friction slowed him to a stop. He jumped back to his feet, trembling with rage and charged again.

Only to be thrown into the wall this time. His back smashed into it and he felt the rock crack. Chips of stone rained down all around him. Having landed on his head, he laid there for a moment both dazed and wincing through the throbbing pain.

"Fine, if I can't hit you, then I'll just blast you to pieces," he shouted.

Seven extended his arm out in front of him, gathering spirit energy into his fist. It started glowing with white light and electricity crackled around his forearms. He charged as much as he could, until his arm was trembling with power. Unable to contain it any longer, he stepped forward and thrust his hand out, releasing it.

The blast he loosed was wild and uncontrolled, a veritable wall of crackling energy. It moved forward but also spread out in all directions.

Seven hadn't mastered using his energy, as he spent most of his time in his cell back on Sorn. Using a blast there would have just freaked everyone out. The few times he did sneak out, he did practice firing blasts, but not nearly enough to make a difference.

"Horu Horu!" Herm shouted. He then turned his body around, his colorful shell facing the incoming blast.

The wall of energy started moving back towards Seven, with no warning. His eyes went wide with terror. He tried to run away, but there was nowhere for him to go. The blast crashed into him and he let out a cry as it exploded.

Searing pain coursed all over his body and he laid there on the hard metal floor. Wisps of smoke curled from his body, which now was covered in minor burns. Never before had he felt such a pain. It took him a long minute to get up. Herm stood, his multiple eyes staring at him without blinking, still in his awkward stance, still unharmed.

Amboss was laughing so hard snot was coming out of his big purple nose. "The reflection shell, Herm you're a jerk. This is probably this kid's first real fight-pulling _that_ dirty trick on him-how horrible."

_He's not wrong. This __**is**__ my first real fight, _Seven thought as he got back up.

He cursed himself for charging in like a maniac. He admittedly had underestimated Herm. The shelled alien had proven not to be a pushover, as was expected by his odd appearance. In fact, he seemed quite composed and well formed. Each one of his counter-throws had been timed perfect and executed with a smooth grace. If Seven wanted to win, he needed to think of a different kind of attack.

This time when he charged Herm, instead of going for a heavy punch, he swept his leg around. Herm blocked it and Seven felt the mitten hands starting to wrap around his shin. Fearing another throw, he yanked his leg down hard, snapping the opposite one up at the same time in a rising knee strike. Herm's free hand stopped the blow dead and then with a push sent Seven tumbling backwards like a leaf in the wind.

Seven landed on his feet this time, at least. _The faster my attacks, the less of a chance he has to grab me._

Attacking with renewed vigor, he sent a hail of fast punches, high and low at Herm. Each one was turned aside in good measure. Seven felt himself tiring with the effort, and getting nowhere fast. Plus, each of Herm's rebuttals came with a stinging jab onto his forearms, which were starting to turn red with bruises. Jumping back, he landed next to the lift and took a moment to collect himself.

_He's only the first guy I have to fight. If I keep this up, I'll be tired and not able to defeat the other two._

The hopelessness of the fight started to creep in. Was he that weak and that helpless?

_Are you going to let that weakling defeat you? Will you be a slave again?_

_No!_

He gathered more spirit energy into his fist and thrust his hand forward. This time the blast was much weaker and he didn't stand idle to see what happened with it. He vanished from sight, moving past the blast, where he re-appeared behind Herm. The shelled alien turned around once again, pointing his colorful shell at the energy to bounce it back.

The energy crashed into the shell, rebounding back. Seven lunged, sending a heavy punch into the alien's stomach. The blast exploded on the wall next to the lift, shaking the entire room and filling it with smoke and the dust of pulverized rock.

Seven pulled his fist back, firing a second punch into the same spot, twisting it deep. Herm let out a low clicking sound that degraded into a growl and then collapsed on the floor. Expecting a counter attack, Seven took a few steps back.

Herm didn't move though, he just laid there wheezing and grunting.

"Well," Amboss said. "Looks like you beat our impenetrable Herm, how about that?"

Seven didn't feel like he won. Just looking at his opponent laying there in pain made him frown. Wasn't winning supposed to be a glorious moment? Why did he feel like a jerk? Herm hadn't really even attacked him, just turned his attacks aside. He felt like this fight had been a mockery and scowled at Amboss.

Amboss scooped Herm up like an infant, carrying him over to the lift. He set him against the wall carefully and patted him on his head. Herm's many eyes were shut and mandibles agape, revealing a strange maw of toothy protrusions.

"Can I leave now?" Seven asked.

"No. Now you fight First Mate Birne," Amboss replied.

Birne, who had been watching idly stepped forward. His hands were still clasped behind his back and he studied Seven's battered with narrowed eyes and a snarl of digust.

"You are not worth my time. But, I do this for the honor of my crew," Birne said. "Prepare yourself. I am not as kind as Herm."


	8. Freedom

#8

Birne unfolded his hands and assumed a wide stance, clenching both of his fists. He let out a low growl and the air around him began to shimmer with a jade energy. It flared up around him, burning hot and wild like a fire just fed fresh kindle.

With no warning, the First Mate simply vanished from sight. Seven swiveled his head, searching for his foe. He witnessed a green streak on his left, and snapped around. Birne's fist collided with his jaw. The blow crushed Saiyan youth's cheek and sent him spinning through the air. He rolled hard across the hangar, just barely able to convince his feet under him to skid to a stop.

Emerald light flooded his vision. It seemed Birne planned on a frontal assault this time. Seven braced himself, swaying sideways away from the blow. The First Mate's knuckles skimmed his noise, rattling the cartilage.

Afraid of another walloping, Seven unleashed a flurry of furious punches. The First Mate bobbed and weaved around them with nimble grace, snickering with his speed advantage. The way he moved was so smooth and clean that it made the Saiyan feel like a clumsy child. Even his fastest swings met nothing but empty air.

Birne's boot crashed into his ribs. He'd been so focused on attacking he hadn't see it. The air escaped from his lips in a low wheeze and doubled over. First Mate jumped above him and came crashing down with both feet into the center of his back.

The Saiyan let out a scream as he driven into the metal floor, which turned into a gurgling wheeze as Birne's heels pressed down.

Seven struggled for air, wiggling and pushing to escape. Birne finally stepped off and he sucked in a deep breath. He folded his arms behind him again, walking towards Amoss casually, as if he had won. Seven noticed the Captain didn't seem amused at all with this battle, his grooved lips sagging into a frown.

"When the Captain offered you a job, I was taken back by your refusal," Birne said. He pulled his black glove tight. The fiery aura around him faded. "I didn't understand why he didn't just leave you to die. Maybe he sees something in you. It's been years since he's recruited anyone, other than the servants run around in this base, but they don't count as crew."

Seven climbed to his feet, eyes wide at overwhelming pain radiating from his back. He couldn't even stand straight and found himself slumping to one side. He tried to correct his posture, only to feel a jolt of pain-perhaps a broken rib.

"This crew, this job, means everything to me. It's the greatest position in the galaxy. So, it's only natural that it brings me pleasure to defend my crew's honor as their First Mate. It's something a filthy primate like yourself wouldn't understand," the First Mate said and hawked up saliva, spitting it at Seven.

The wad landed on Seven's boot. Seven stared at it, baffled by how brazen the spit seemed to remain there. It didn't trickle down, it didn't spread out. It just remained all bubbly, as if to also insult him, to call him out on his weakness too. Seven felt something building, a fire deep in his gut.

His muscles tensed all at once as he stoked the flame.

White light seeped from his pores, rising up around him and coalesced into a flame-just as Birne's had done a moment earlier. Before that moment, Seven's power had been locked up inside of him, only to be siphoned out when he needed it. Now it rushed into his veins like white lightning, demanding it be wielded.

He bared his teeth at Brine, his vision narrowing, locking onto the alien's smug face. "I'm not done yet!"

He rushed at Birne at a speed he didn't think himself capable of-leaving behind a flickering after image where he once stood. He appeared beside the First Mate, having overshot by a few feet. He had been so unprepared for his new speed that he'd forgotten to cock his arm back for a punch.

Birne's eyes widened and he spun around throwing an elbow that slammed into Seven's chest.

Seven felt the blow, but in his enraged state it felt distant, like an echo of pain somewhere faraway. The enraged Saiyan lashed out, wrapping both arms around Birne's torso and squeezing down like a crushing vice. He planted both his feet flat on the ground and arched his back, lifting the First Mate up over his chest.

The Birne suspended, he squeezed as hard as he could, trying to crush the smaller alien. Brine proved to be stubborn as he started kneeing Seven in the chest over and over again.

That distant echo of pain from before now grew louder, proudly announcing itself with every repetitious knee. Seven bent his knees and jump high, halfway to the ceiling , and let himself fall, forcing Birne down onto the metal floor in some sort of mad suplex.

Whether Birne had noticed it or not, the Saiyan's head had crashed against the metal floor with the full force of his landing. Having miscalculated his makeshift piledriver, Seven rolled away, stumbling to his feet-seeing white stars in his vision.

Birne growled with agitation. With a practiced grace he snapped his legs forward, rising to both feet in an instant.

"You know nothing of freedom," Birne said. "This life is the closest thing to real freedom you'll ever see in this galaxy. You are respected, you get paid well, and can go anywhere and do what you want. You're not under the thumb of some tyrant, nor are you a slave to ambitions of some greedy merchant or a ruthless corporation.

"If we had let you walk way, what would have happened? You have no idea what's out there, what sort of beings would pay to meet a young Saiyan, lost and confused, if only to crush one and say that they did. "

"Just stop talking," Seven replied.

He finally got his vision back, but the headache was still there. Each one of Birne's words seemed to give it strength. The energy that had welled up in him felt a bit further away, but he willed it back, his aura exploding around him once more.

The two clash again in a furious melee, and there was nothing pretty about it. Birne's fist caved in his nose, sending blood squirting out one nostril in a straight line. A palm strike to the jaw ,loosening one tooth, and busting his lip. Crimson poured from his mouth onto his shirt.

The blood that filled his mouth tasted like liquid iron and just when he thought he couldn't find anymore anger, that awkward tasted seemed to bring it out.

Despite his success, Birne suffered worse from the onslaught of blows. His big head made for an easy punching bag. The enraged Saiyan's knuckles opened up several gashes, which spewed a strange amber colored blood. Birne stumbled, his head lolling after Seven delivered a mean right hook to his eyeball.

"You _stupid_ savage!"

In a flash of emerald light Birne surged backwards, landing a few dozen yards out of range. Seven considered closing the gap, but realized he was gasping for air and exhausted after his flurry. Beads of sweat rolled down his face and wetted his blood stained chest. He could barely see straight, the world a distorted blob in front of him. Nearly every muscle in his body throbbed from exertion.

"You have no technique, just brute strength. You just keep clubbing me with your fists, and you call that fighting," Birne said and wiping yellow blood away from his eye, which looked swollen and ruptured. "Let me _kill_ him Amboss. I want to put this wicked beast out his misery."

"No," Amboss said, his voice flat and stern. "You know the damn rules."

"Agh," Birne spat. "Fine. I don't know where he found this strength, but it won't be enough."

The Saiyan youth took a deep breath and disappeared, hurling himself at Birne at high speeds, hoping to catch him off guard. He lashed out with a wide kick, but the First Mate vanished from sight.

Seven twisted around trying to get a bead his foe, but it seemed the First Mate was gone from sight entirely. That is, until Seven spotted a strange shadow on the ground ahead. Uncertain how it got there, Seven glanced up and found Birne floating there above the hangar floor, at least fifty feet in the air-suspended by nothing.

_How?_

"By that look on your face, I doubt you even know how to fly," Birne said. He he cocked his arm back.

Seven didn't have any time to think about it. Emerald energy swirled around Birne's fist, collecting into a large sphere in his palm. He pitched it forward, sending it spinning through the air at the grounded Saiyan, who managed to get his arms up just in time. The ball exploded with a resounding crack, bringing Seven to his knee. The smoke cleared, but Seven remained, gritting his teeth through burning pain. Not wanting to risk losing sight of his opponent yet again, the Saiyan brought his charred arms down to get a look.

The First Mate now held both hands above his head. His bright green aura no longer seemed like a flame, having been transformed into wicked fingers of electricity that cracked outwards across the hangar. It was so bright Seven brought his forearm up to shield his eyes.

"Tide of Annihilation!" Birne screamed.

Dozens of spheres filled the air, sizzling down towards Seven at astounding speed. The Saiyan youth knew better than to stand tall gain such a violent barrage and dashed away from it. Explosions thundered and roared behind him as he ran. Birne swiveled his body and tracked Seven's movements, pumping his arms like a madman, firing a continuous stream.

Seven stumbled forward as blast detonated next to his foot. He changed directions, swerving hard, trying to throw off the First Mate's aim. Birne compensated by increasing his rate of fire, sending smaller but faster bolts of death at the young Saiyan.

The Saiyan youth choked on desperation and smoke.

_Yes, smoke. That may be my only way to stop him._

The Saiyan stopped slid to a stop and twisted around, running back into the cascade of annihilation. Crossing his arms in front of his face, he plowed through the conflagration.

_I'm in the smoke cloud-now what! _

The thick smoke would conceal him for a few moments. Above, he could hear Birne still firing wildly into the smoke, each blast hissing through the air, illuminating the bleary darkness with green light. A a stray blast exploded beside him, showering him with superheated rock.

_Think, think! _

Not being able to see the First Mate any longer, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the sound. If Seven missed the attack, or failed, it would be all over. The only way he was getting up there was by jumping. So he ran straight for the wall with all of the speed he could muster from his busted body.

Friction allowed him to charge straight up the wall a good ways. Before gravity clamped down, he turned around and sprang off it.

Like a Saiyan missile, he emerged from the smoke cloud straight for Birne. A loud boom emanated as his knuckles collided with Birne's torso. The blow splintered the First Mate's body armor, sending pieces tumbling away.

They flew through the air together, on a straight trajectory for the opposite wall. Birne's back crashed into the stone, caving the wall in. Seven fell, landing hard on his shoulder. He rolled a good distance, before coming to a stop, face down.

Stuck in a crater in the wall, the First Mate could only let out raspy gurgle, before falling flat on his face. Loose rocks tumbled down ontop of him, nearly entombing him.

The Saiyan couldn't stand after that, and when he tried he fell to both knees. There was no energy left in his body, or so it seemed. He slumped forward, his hands pressing against the still hot metal floor. Both arms quivered as he tried to hold himself up.

Sweat and blood dripped from the Saiyan's face. He watched it splatter onto the floor for what seemed like an eternity, barely able to lift his head up. He didn't have to. Because a shadow creeped over him. He lifted his head only to see a set of white boots.

"Get up," Amboss said, his tone serious. "You got one more fight to win before you're free."


	9. Pirate

#9

Seven wanted to get up. He pushed as hard as he could with both arms and tried to pull his legs under him, to no avail. His head kept lolling and both of his eyelids seemed weighted with lead. He couldn't breathe either, as his chest was tight with pain; each gasp he took seemed shorter than usual and less invigorating.

"Seems you need a short rest," Amboss said, walking away. "That's fine."

The big purple skinned alien started lifting rocks off Birne. Each one landed on the metal floor with a dull thud.

"I choose my crew members carefully," he continued. "Everyone has a specialization. The first one you fought, Herm, he's our cook. Birne, he's first mate-but not for his fighting power. The bastard is a genius when it comes to ship combat and strategy. Some of the stuff he's done has blown my mind."

Freed from his rocky tomb, Amboss picked Birne up by the back of his armor and carried him across the room. He set him down beside the still incapacitated Herm. Birne, somehow still awake, clawed at the captain's arm in an attempt to say something. Before he could finish, his big head slumped sideways, and he passed out.

"Rest easy pal," Amboss said and placed a comforting hand on Birne's bloodied head. "I'll take it from here."

The short rest did wonders for Seven, in his bloodied condition. He had been shaking like a leaf in a windstorm a minute ago, but now he could feel his limbs steadying. He climbed up, wincing through the stabbing pain in his side-no doubt a result of a broken rib. He gave himself a once over, only to regret it.

His white shirt was stained red and burned up. His arms were covered in red blisters and blackened spots. It reminded him of the cooked meat he had just ate before this match, which made him feel queasy. His pants were riddled with tears and holes, revealing several nasty gouges along his thigh and on his shins. He only could wonder what his face looked like-most likely just as busted up as the rest of him.

"Everyone in the crew is really good at what they do, at their specializations. Actually, the only one who doesn't have one is me," Amboss admitted. "The only thing I've ever been good at is putting the fear in people and cracking skulls."

"I'm not afraid of you," Seven said, even as he wobbled.

"You should be, kid. You have to learn some humility. I'll show you."

Seven growled and charged at Amboss. He found it easier to stay steady while he was on the move. His punch slammed into Amboss large stomach, but the big Captain was unmoved. The Saiyan unleashed a flurry of punches, each plowing into his flesh. Seemingly annoyed, Amoss backhanded him across the face and sent him flying.

The blow hurt significantly more than any of Birne's attacks. Seven saw stars and felt himself stumble left and right, off-balance. He regained his vision a moment later, but if it were hard before to stay on his feet, due to soreness, taking that blow to the head had made it nearly impossible.

"I had a good feeling about you," Amboss said. "That's why I offered you a job. But, I have to say that you exceeded all my expectations by taking down a veteran like Birne. I'm not going to be that easy though."

_Steady, steady._

Seven brought both his hands together and let his spirit energy flow into them and out of his fingertips. A crackling mass formed between them, sparking and sputtering. He let out a groan as he forced more energy into it, creating a distorted sphere that soon grew to be bigger than his torso.

He unleashed it, a crackling beam of white energy that barreled forward at Amboss. The entire room was illuminated in its blinding glow. Seven roared as he poured as much spirit energy as he could into it. This was it-if he didn't hurt Amboss now he doubted he would last much longer. He felt the beam stop and his own feet slid back a few inches. Spit seethed through his clenched teeth, but Amboss wouldn't budge.

"You're all instinct. You have no technique," Amboss called out.

After what seemed like an eternity of firing the blast, Seven felt the energy in his body fading. He had nothing left in the tank. The beam shrunk and a moment later dissipated.

_Not now-not yet body._

Smoke curled around Amboss and Seven watched as it slowly dispersed. The Captain stood fast, his hands resting on his hips. He appeared unscathed. There wasn't even a scuff on his armor.

"A noble effort, but it's time to end this little game," Amboss said.

Seven watched him only to see him disappear. There was no blur, no hint of motion. He didn't even realize that Amboss had arrived until he felt fingers gripping his throat. Amboss was in front of him and lifted him up high. Seven swatted and punched at his arm, trying to free himself from the Captain's grip. It felt like he was punching an unmovable object, and it hurt his hands terribly to keep up the effort.

Amboss merely chuckled and floated into the air, flying up high towards the ceiling.

He then flew back down, holding Seven out in front of him. Panicking, Seven steeled himself for the impact, but there was no preparation for such a devastating blow. Amboss drove him into the metal floor so hard that it cracked like glass, shattering into a thousand glittering fragments. The stone beneath also gave in, forming a wide crater.

The pain was there, Seven knew it. However, his nerves seemed to delay delivering the message.

"So," Amboss whispered. "How's that job sound now?"

The message of pain arrived in a cataclysmic fashion. The world went black before Seven could formulate a scream.

* * *

Seven opened his stinging eyes, realizing immediately that he was submerged under water. His survival instincts kicked in and he started kicking and thrashing. A torrent of bubbles rose up from his mouth, but he realized he was still breathing. He brought his hand to his mouth to find a mask covering it, providing oxygen.

The liquid felt heavier than water and had a green tint to it. It was some sort of chamber, and it had a glass window that he could see through. Someone was outside; watching him, but their appearance was distorted and he couldn't tell who.

"Gughghh ughh," he said, his words muffled by the mask and the liquid.

His mind reached back, trying to remember what had happened the last time it was conscious. Amboss's dark purple face came to mind, in front of him, with his hands around his throat. He had driven him into the ground with astounding force.

_I lost._

A loud humming sound filled the liquid filled chamber and he felt a shift. Suction on his toes told him that the chamber was beginning to be drained. It wasn't long before his head was above the liquid and as it continued to drain the weightlessness subsided and he stood flat on his feet. He removed the mask from his face and glanced down at his naked body. Not a single scar remained, although the liquid he had been submerged to him clung to him like sticky snot.

He shuddered as torrents of cold water blasted out of nozzles all around the chamber, spraying him clean of the goo. He shook his head and wiped his face clean of it. The hatch clicked and popped open and he stepped out into what looked like a medical lab. There were at least four other chambers, but they were empty.

A pudgy alien with a tuft of orange hair and yellow skin stood in a white coat, studying him. The coat fondly reminded him of Doctor Shali and he found a small smile at her memory.

"Seems the BioGen has healed you well, Saiyan," the little guy said. He held a tablet computer in his hand that he tapped on. "The Captain was expecting you in the mess hall. The crew is eating together tonight. There's a pile of clothes on the table over there. You better get moving, don't be late."

Seven grabbed the pile of garments and looked them over. There was a single slate gray jumper and a set of armor that reminded him of Birne's, except tiny, as if it were meant for a child. The boots were stark white and polished to a shine. He pulled the jumper on. It fit snug, tight to his body and he loved the mobility it seemed to afford. The boots were cushioned well, unlike the flat shoes he wore before from the prison. They gave him a spring to his step.

"I think this armor is too small," Seven said.

"It's made out of Flexweave and is one size fits all, trust me."

He yanked on it with both hands and it stretched easy, snapping back into place when he let go. "This is amazing."

After armoring up, he jogged off to the mess hall. When he first arrived it had been empty, but he entered to see dozens of aliens sitting around the tables. At one table, towards the back, he saw Amboss sitting beside Birne and a few other crewmates he didn't recognize. The Captain stood up when he spotted Seven. Everyone seemed confused and slowly started to stand as well, not wanting to defy the Captain in anyway.

"Welcome crewmate Seven," he said.

Everyone else let out an _oorah._

"Come, sit, and eat with your Captain."

Seven walked over cautiously, lowering himself down into the chair. Amboss had a large smile. He snapped his fingers and a few seconds later the Saiyan heard a skittering sound on the metal floor. Looking sideways, he saw Herm in an apron carrying a steaming plate in one of his mitten claws.

"Herm is honor to cook for you. You are a formidable warrior," the shelled alien said. His voice was strange, like a bunch of hums and clicks, but the words were clear enough.

Seven's eyes went wide as he looked at the steaming legs of meat, cooked grains, and vegetables. He dug in, listening to the laughter and boisterous stories of his new crewmates.

He was one of them now, an Amboss Pirate.


	10. Charity

#10

_AGE 820, PLANET RALLOR_

The cargo ramp slammed onto the basin floor, kicking up a huge cloud of red dust that wafted into the cargo bay. Seven leaned against the bulkhead and watched Amboss stride down the ramp, his arms held out wide and chuckling heartily. A group of dust encrusted aliens in ragged robes stood outside, waiting. Their leader was an olive skinned elder and he hobbled forward, using his gnarled cane for balance.

Seven understood these people to be refugees and survivors, dredges left over from Planet Trade Organization ransacked worlds. The Saiyan had seen their village, nestled underneath a lip of red rock, on the ship's descent. It was a good spot, he had to admit. It wouldn't be detected by surface level orbital scans. That was enough to divert the attention of any raiders or PTO Remnant craft.

The big purple Captain wrapped his beefy arms around the elder and picked him up like a baby, hugging him and guffawing like a madman. He talked with them for a long while before he snapped his fingers, indicating to his crew to bring the goods. The other crewmates used hover jacks, pushing the crates down the ramp. Seven instead picked his crate up and let it rest on his shoulder, bracing it with one arm. It was a testament to his immense strength, the crate weighing a few tons.

First Mate Birne, who was standing at the top of the ramp, shook his head.

"Show off."

Seven set the crate down in the dirt. The aliens in the group started at him, their expressions barely containing terror. He got that reaction wherever he went, especially from older aliens. Saiyans were infamous and most recognized his racial traits immediately- even without his tail. Not wanting to give them further discomfort, he strode back up the ramp, disappearing into the shadows of the cargo hold.

Amboss popped open the crate that Seven had brought and let the elder look inside.

"There's enough food rations and medicine in these crates to last you months," the Captain said in an eager voice.

"Captain Amboss, we don't have nearly enough credits to pay you for all of this," the elder replied and shook his head.

"Well," Amboss said. "These are from a Remnant freighter I jacked. I sold most of its contents already. It took what I needed for my crew. These are the leftovers. They're on the house."

"T-Thank you Captain," the elder said, bowing deeply in a sign of respect. It didn't look easy for him, based on his pained expression. "We may not be able to pay you, but you and your crew our invited to our village tonight for a feast. Please, at least allow us to show you this hospitality, for your generous contribution."

"You never have to ask me twice to party," Amboss said. He swung his arm forward nonchalantly, motioning for his crew to follow him to the village.

Seven stayed in the back of the column, lugging his crate. The elder and villagers shuffled along at the front, leading the pirates through the winding canyon to their village. The rugged landscape made for a difficult landing, but Amboss had expertly parked the _Blushing Maid_ down in one of the area's widest clearings. The ship itself was slender, like an aquatic predator, and covered with matte black paneling. The angular panels reduced the ship's radar signature and gave it stealth in visual spectrum, especially in the dark of space. She was a good ship-especially when compared to some of the pieces of junk that Seven had seen flying. Her speed also seemed unmatched for a ship in the frigate class, most of which were slow and cumbersome

He coughed on the dust that the others kicked up as they walked ahead of him. Rallor was an arid world composed most of rusty red rock and blowing sand. He could see little thorny bushes and whisker like grass poking up here and there. The red mountains had flattened tops and great holes carved in the, no doubt from thousands of years of wind erosion.

Thick dust filled every nook and cranny. It made him wonder why anyone would want to live in such a place. But, perhaps they had little choice. Planets with plenty of water and flora were often coveted by powerful beings. That made them a target. And this group didn't seem like they had any worthy warriors.

A huge lip of rock hung over the village, casting a deep shadow over it. The people had built ramshackle houses composed of rusted sheets of durasteel and aluminum grating welded together. No doubt they had broken down the hulls and the inner sections of ships to make the village. The largest of the buildings, what he assumed was their village hall, looked to be made out of gutted fuselage of a PTO warship.

They had large bins set up with plastic sheets surrounding them. Seven couldn't help but be impressed with their ingenuity. Beads of water trickled down the plastic sheets and dripped into the bins. They were capturing water from the atmosphere. Smart, when there weren't any rivers.

Seven set his crate with the rest. Villagers emerged from their homes, along with females and children. The air was filled with excitement, people rushing about and mingling with the pirates. Seven hung in the back of the group watching the commotion for a few minutes, before deciding to head back.

Birne intercepted him. "You're not going to stay?"

Seven stepped around him, walking past. "I'm going to go train."

"You work just as hard as the rest of us, kid. You deserve a little rest and relaxation too," Birne replied.

The Saiyan stopped for a moment, glancing back. "You didn't see the look in that elder's eyes when he recognized what I am. No need to make these people uncomfortable. Plus, I'm always on that damn ship and can't work out to my fullest. There's a lot of space on this planet for me to let loose."

"Well, be careful out there and keep your eyes peeled."

* * *

Nyra ducked low behind the slab of rusty red rock.

_Shit,_ she thought.

The dark haired one had been scoping out his surroundings, and she was unsure if he had seen her. It wasn't likely, but she didn't want to take that risk again when he walked past. The rest of the spacers had remained in the village with the cargo, and now looked to be mingling. Once the dark haired one disappeared down the canyon, she took a peek, slapping her visor down.

The HUD flickered to life. The scouter built into her helmet immediately detected the life forms in the village, bringing up a plethora of information on the screen. She focused in on the purple skinned alien and zoomed close, running a quick biometric scan on him.

Data didn't lie. She was certain she had found the legendary pirate Amboss. She flipped open top of her wrist computer and punched in the code to reach her boss. It sat idle for a long moment as it made a connection through the hyperspace transponder in her ship.

"'Ello," a gruff voice said on the other end.

"Sir, I've located the bounty. Your hunch about Rallor wasn't wrong," Nyra said. "May I have permission to engage the target?"

"No," the voice responded. "You're too weak to take down Amboss and his crew. Kascade is in the system on standby. I will send word to him to head down there right away."

"He's been _here?" _Nyra squeaked.

"Well-yes Nyra. Didn't your mother tell you not to put all your eggs in one basket? I had a feeling you would need backup, so I sent him after you."

She growled. "Fine," she muttered as she slapped the wrist computer shut, ending the transmission.

Kascade was a smug bastard and she had no desire to share her cut with him. The boss wasn't giving her a chance. She could feel her molars grinding. She flipped her visor up and jumped down from her perch, landing silently on the ground below. With careful footsteps she worked her way alongside the canyon to where Amboss's ship had landed.

She heard the skittering of falling rock behind her and spun around. With smooth dexterity she flicked her wrist and sent a throwing knife at whatever-it-was with blinding speed. It stuck into the midsection of a square headed lizard, which fell off the side of the rock, tail still twitching. She retrieved it, yanking it out and wiped the blood on her black pants.

She was getting a bit jumpy and needed to calm down if she were going to do this right.

Amboss was the one with the fat bounty on his head. That didn't mean she couldn't eliminate his crew members. She would start with the straggler, the black haired one and then anyone who wandered too far away from the village during the little festival. Assassination was her forte and she wanted to show the boss she could get it done. By the time that Kascade arrived, Amboss would be the only one left to subdue, if she had it her way.


	11. Assassin

#11

Bits of smoking rock rained down all around Seven. He stood breathless, his hand outstretched. Cords of spirit energy crackled around his arm before dissipating into the air. Through the thick mass of smoke he heard a loud _crack_.

A moment later a gargantuan slab fell sideways, dragging half the mountain with it into the desert sands below.

A great plume of displaced sand crashed against the rock beside him like ocean waves. Behind him, Rallor's harsh sun sat firmly above the horizon in the southwestern sky. Its fiery rays beat against his back and beads of sweat trickled down his face, splattering on his chest. The young Saiyan was ragged from the efforts of his training.

He never trained in a desert before, but there was something about it that felt familiar. Sorn had been an arid world as well, but not nearly as bad as Rallor. There had been belts of green and a large ocean in his northern hemisphere. Maybe the heat and sand was a climate his body was meant to handle. Since throwing in with Amboss's pirates, he read many books on Planet Vegeta and Saiyan history. Planet Vegeta had been a world similar to Rallor, the difference being that it was nearly three times bigger, which much more gravity.

After joining Amboss's Pirates, Seven had gone to Amboss for training. The big purple oaf had literally just laughed him off and told him that he wasn't a master and to figure it out himself. Seven spent most of his time aboard the _Blushing Maid_, where there wasn't exactly any room to practice his energy manipulation. So, anytime he got some open space on a planetary pit stop, he took it.

Flight had been the first thing he mastered after watching the others. The principle wasn't hard. The act just took some concentration. Levitating was easy, but he was still practicing actual flying. He had to master exerting the right amount of energy out of his feet and limbs, or risk spinning out of control.

After listening to the crew members talk, he had picked up the Galactic Common language with ease, but many still laughed at his strange Saiyan-Sornian accent. Most of the time, aboard the ship, he spent reading and doing research. He did a lot of exercises, like had in his cell, but they did little than keep him in shape.

Determined to keep pressing his training, Seven clenched his fist, gathering a vast amount energy into it. His hand trembled as the power coursed through his veins, collecting into a single point. Arcs of electricity rose from his fingers, sputtering and snapping through the air. He brought his arm back and thrust it forward. A white beam erupted from his palm, shooting out into the desert.

No longer was it a wall of uncontrolled energy, but precisely concentrated beam.

The attack cut a swath through the sand, turning it to glass in a long line. Somewhere, out on the horizon, it impacted, a great black and gray smudge of smoke and dust rising up towards the heavens. He fell to one knee after the expenditure of energy. Wiping away sweat with his forearm, he smiled at the glittering groove in the desert. He was getting stronger.

Perhaps soon he could challenge Amboss again, for his freedom.

* * *

Nyra laid sideways on the rock, eating a hard bread as she watched the black haired pirate train. He had his armor off and stood shirtless, a sheen of sweat covering his muscular frame. She could tell by the way his body was developed that he was still just an adolescent: a damn kid. Well, one with an impressive build at least.

During his exercises, he had shown a tremendous amount of raw power as he blasted an entire mountain to smithereens and broke a hundred boulders with his bare fists. They were feats that even she would have had a hard time accomplishing, yet he did it so effortlessly.

Still, she didn't like the idea of killing a kid. Maybe it was female sentiment or something like that. but the thought made her feel queasy. Regardless, she couldn't let a kid with that much power intervene in their efforts to capture Captain Amboss. She had no doubt Kascade could wipe the floor with him, but if Kascade had to fight someone as notorious as Amboss at the same time, well things would get sticky.

She finished the last of her hard bread and took a long swig from her canteen. She felt comfortable proceeding, as he seemed so distracted-looking longingly into the desert. His focus and all the still tumbling stones meant he wouldn't see or hear her coming from a mile away.

Despite that, she kept in a low crouch-weaving around the pieces of shattered rock he had left behind him his rampage. She paused, waiting in the shadows as he plopped down on a boulder and hung his head low, clearly exhausted.

There was never a more opportune time to garrote someone. She pulled the wire and two wooden dowels from her belt pouch and crept forward. Once behind him, she put a dowel in each fist and brought it down over his head, arms crossed. With all of the strength she could muster and a solid stance, she yanked back. The wire pulled taut against his throat.

It pressed in on all sides and she heard the distinct gurgle of him trying to draw breath when he could not. As she expected, he stood up and brought her with him dangling off his back. She wrapped her legs around his arms and locked them together firmly. He struggled, trying to unpin his arms like a wild animal, bucking and trashing. Despite his efforts, he couldn't toss her from his back.

She flexed all her muscles, tightening her hold. Spit flew out of her teeth from the exertion as she tried pull the wire through his flesh and into his windpipe. She could see crimson pouring out onto his chest, but she hadn't made much headway, only breaking the surface of his flesh.

_What in the nine hells is this guy made out of?_

He started backing up, gaining momentum. It was a long way to the rock face and she pulled so hard she felt as if her shoulders were going to dislocate. Still, he kept moving, despite her focus and power. It didn't make any sense. All the others had gone down.

They reached the rock wall and he slammed her back into with a jump from his powerful legs.. She felt the air escaping from her own lugs as her chest was pressed hard and held there. He wanted to crush her. She didn't know how this was happening, but she could feel her efforts waning. Wisps of white energy began to pour out of his body and he exploded with power. Heat engulfed her and she let out rageful scream.

"Die already, you son of a bitch!" she shouted.

He crouched and then leaped backwards, smashing her so hard against the edifice that time that it started to crack. Chips of stone showered her and she felt her arms give and leg lock loosen for the first time. Such an extended exertion on top of the pain was too much for her.

The weakening of her hold proved to be detrimental. He slipped his arm out of her lock and took hold of her wrist. His fingers were like crushing vices and before long she was tumbling through the air.

Her back suffered a third collision, this time with the ground. That alone made her cry out. He drove his knee into her chest, silencing her and driving all the rest of the air out in a low wheeze. He pinned her in place and she writhed, trying to get away. She couldn't move him, even though he probably weighed less than she did. She beat at his leg and his stomach over and over again, but it was like punching a durasteel statue.

* * *

Air-never did he covet it so much.

Seven could feel the blood trickling down his neck and onto his chest. His chest heaved for sweet oxygen as he held his attacker down with one knee. They weren't very strong, at least not strong enough to move him.

He had just reacted and wasn't sure how he had even gotten them off him. He hacked and coughed, his throat aching terribly from the wire she had wrapped around it.

Naturally, the next step would have been to start asking questions, but a lance of pain shot through his leg. He glanced down only to see a knife buried to the handle in his thigh. He wanted to scream, but his throat was raw and he stifled it with a deep breath. The pain proved to be the last resort and he could feel his body trembling.

_Kill them. Such dishonor attacking a Saiyan warrior when their guard is down. Such cowardice,_ the King's voice said.

He lost it, swinging at his foe's head over and over again. The tenth punch landed too high and he knocked their helmet off, which went tumbling down the rocks and landed on top of a sandy dune below. He cocked his fist for an eleventh punch, but caught sight of their-no-her face.

Her cheeks were all puffed up and bloody, most likely from his punches. She had light violet skin and a tousled mop of bright yellow hair. Both her eyes were the deepest of purple, and he could see them filling with tears of pain. There was something about his foe being a female that deflated his anger in that moment.

His hand fell instead to the handle of the knife, which he pulled out of his leg and tossed away. It rattled as it tumbled down into the sand, right next to the helmet. He took his knee off of her and grabbed her by the straps of her armor, dragging her back to the rock face, limping the entire way. She didn't struggle, not any longer, her body limp like a sack of grain. With one arm he hefted her up and pressed her against the wall, so their faces were level. He stared into her purple eyes, pressing his nose against her nose.

"Who are you?"

Her voice sounded muffled through puffed cheeks, "N-Nyra."

"Why did you try to kill me?"

"There's a bounty on your boss's head. I'm a bounty hunter. I was taking you out so you didn't intervene when my comrade arrives," she said.

"You're pretty honest."

She spat blood into his face. "Of course, I'm not pirate scum like you."

He let go and she dropped to the ground. There wasn't any time to waste, he had to get back and warn Amboss that bounty hunters were on their way.

"W-What are you?" she called out.

He stopped, glancing back over his shoulder. That was the first time anyone had ever asked him what he was. He guessed she had underestimated him.

"I'm a Saiyan."


	12. Wounded

#12

Nyra tried to get up, but her legs felt heavy and unresponsive. A cold sensation coursed through her as she struggled. It was as if all the nerves below her waist were misfiring and sputtering out. If the shaking in her hands was any indication-she figured she might go into shock soon, probably due to internal bleeding. She was sure that her back was broken.

She also knew that nose was busted. She could only breath out of her mouth and was grateful that he hadn't broken her jaw too. She might have suffocated.

"Saiyan… How was I supposed to know he was a Saiyan?"

She hadn't seen a tail, but still the rest of his appearance was in line with the images she had seen. Maybe he had cut it off, that way he could deny his heritage if came down to it. Saiyans were a nefarious species and few in the galaxy would hesitate to make a Saiyan's life a living hell. Regardless, picking a Saiyan as a target was a stupid idea. She cursed herself for not doing more research into Amboss's crew before acting. Saiyans were stupidly strong, even as children.

She flipped open her wrist computer and tapped the screen. Her training told her to hit her distress beacon, but in this case she figured it would be a bad idea. Yet, if she hit her distress beacon Amboss would be alerted to her presence right away and that wouldn't give Kascade enough time to arrive. As it currently stood, it would take the Saiyan at least fifteen minutes to get back to his ship, even flying at full speed. He would alert Amboss, and she figured they would try to hightail it off Rallor. By that time, Kascade would be there to stop them.

Even though it killed her to do so, she pressed the button to open a transmission with Kascade.

A few seconds later his pale blue face appeared on the screen. His lips were drawn into a grin, his stupid bushy mustache all bunched up under his long nose. She hated everything about his groomed eyebrows and curly white hair. He was so effeminate and concerned with appearances. She was a female and didn't spend anywhere close to amount of time that he did on pampering.

"You look lovely," he said in his raspy voice. "What happened, bite off more than you can chew?"

"Shut up," Nyra said. "Listen to me. Amboss has a Saiyan in his crew. You need to get down there right away. He's on his way to warn them. If he gets back into his ship, we'll never catch him."

"Stupid Nyra," Kascade said and smoothed his mustache with his fingertip. "You bit off more than you can chew trying to impress the boss. I have half a mind to petition for your cut on this bounty. If you were half as good at catching people as you were at getting caught, this wouldn't be a problem."

She really was in too much pain to argue with him. "Just get down there and send someone to get me. You can have my damn cut-I can't move and I think my back is broken."

"Oh, how traumatic-I'll send someone as soon as I can," Kascade said.

By the malicious sneer on his face before he ended the transmission, Nyra knew she would be lying there in the fading desert sun for some time. He wouldn't hurry to get her, no he would make her suffer.. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the pain and hoped sleep would find her.

Of course, it didn't.

* * *

_I'm losing a lot of blood_, Seven thought.

It seemed like the faster he flew, the more poured out of the gaping hole in his thigh. The ship wasn't far, he hoped. The further he traveled on the more he began to wonder.

The rugged landscape of Rallor was unforgiving on the sun was just a golden whisper behind the horizon, casting fading orange light upon the desert. Jagged red pillars and windblown mountains rose up out of the sand in every direction. Everything looked the same, for as far as he could see. He was deprived of any sense of direction. It left him wondering if maybe he had flown off in the wrong direction.

He cursed himself for not bringing a scouter with him. Then again, he hadn't been expecting to be attacked on such a desolate and forlorn world. Rallor was on the edge of explored space, not anywhere near any of the trade routes. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that the female bounty hunter had followed them there, or at least heard rumor they were headed out to the edge.

Part of him regretted not killing her. She was the reason he was losing so much blood. He had flown off in a haste and now was probably lost because of her too.

With a loud _crack_ a sonic boom sounded somewhere above.

His ebony eyes scanned the blue-black sky, searching for a sign. He caught a glimmer of silver and stared at it. It was a ship ship entering the atmosphere. Seven had little doubt, based on the speed of descent, and the blooming tail of flame behind following behind it.

That meant the girl hadn't been bluffing when she told him her comrade was on the way.

_I have to hurry!_

Seven's white aura flared outward as he surged forward, leaving a bright streak in his wake. As he accelerated, he could feel his beating faster, pushing oxygen rich blood through his body. That concerned him, as the more he exerted the worse the bleeding would be in his leg. The girl must have hit an artery or a vein-something important. He needed a tourniquet or something to staunch the bleeding. But, didn't have Amboss, the crew, and the village were ambushed, many people would die.

He followed the ship and familiar landmarks came into view.. It ship set down a good mile or so away from the village. He could see the lip of rock rising up on the horizon. Where it settled down was on the opposite end of the canyon, a good distance from _Blushing Maid_.

_Smart,_ Seven thought. _They're trying to avoid detection by landing way over here. Not that it matters, the entire ship is in standby. _

He saw a group of people emerge from where it landed, flying into the air. He couldn't make out much about them, as they were mere specks at a distance. They seemed to float there for a long moment before flying off towards the lip of rock.

_I'll never beat them there. I need to send a warning somehow._

It only took him a minute or so of lying before he reached their ship. It wasn't special, a mere shuttle-essentially a cylindrical tube with a set of engines and landing skids.

He couldn't see them anymore, but he knew they were getting closer. He couldn't beat them there. There had to be another way.

_An explosion! That might alert them._

He clapped both his hands together, channeling his spirit energy into his palms. A wave of exhaustion passed over him and he nearly fell out of the sky. His training session had drained him considerably Good thing he didn't need a lot of power to blow up a ship of its size. It probably didn't even have any deflector shields.

Leveling both hands forward, he unleashed a crackling sphere that flew off, leaving behind radiant arcs of lightning in its wake. The blast plowed into the top of the ship and exploded with a blinding flash. The blast wave kicked up a giant greasy black cloud of smoke and flame. Bits of superheated metal rained onto the ground below, scattering among the red rocks.

Seven focused on steadying his labored breathing. The speedy flight and energy expenditure proved too much, his eyes sagging with leaded tiredness. He could barely keep himself floating in the air any longer. Not really wanting to plummet and endure even more pain hitting the ground, he let himself float down, carefully landing beside the burning wreckage.

Stumbling forward, he fell against the nearest rock slab. He stayed there, trying to steady his breathing and keep himself alert.

It seemed making a tourniquet couldn't wait. Growling in frustration he grabbed the stretchy material of his other pant leg and began to pull it. It ripped and he tore it until he had all the fabric from his knee down. He then tore that into a two thinner strips and began to wind it around his wound, as tight as he could get it.

"Agh!"

Just the pressure of the fabric on his wound was enough to make his eyes water. He clenched his teeth and breathed through them. Spittle flew from his lips as he tied the knot, pulling the fabric taut as he did. The second strip he simply wrapped around and tight a lighter knot with, meant more to absorb the blood than anything else.

He stayed there for a long time, catching his breath and fighting through the pain. It seemed no amount of grunting and hissing he did made the pain stop. The tourniquet didn't numb his wound, it simply put an immense amount of pressure on it. It hurt a good deal more.

_I just got to deal with it._

Despite his determination, he didn't think he would make to his crewmates on time.


	13. Amboss

#13

Amboss leaned back in the rusted metal chair. It shrieked under his weight, but it held strong. He popped the cork from the bottle and held it to his lips, taking a long pull. The liquor burned all the way down and settled in his stomach, where it burned even more.

"Good stuff. Elder what do you call this?" Amboss said and coughed a bit.

"Sunshine. It's made out of a plant that only grows here on Rallor, a rare kind of root," the Elder said from his position on the opposite side of the fire.

"Well said root makes some damn fine booze," Amboss said. He tilted the bottle back for another pull.

First Mate Birne sat on his right, poking at the crackling fire with a metal bar. There were no trees on this planet, so they burned dried out cacti and shrubbery. The villagers had all gathered around the dozen or so fires that had been lit. The largest one currently cooked some sort of lizard on a spit. Greasy fat rolled off its charred flesh, splattering into the flames below it. The aroma made Amboss's stomach growl and his mouth water.

The rest of the crew were mingling with the villagers. Laughter and conversation filled the air. The sun barely had a sliver left on the horizon, ushering in the night. Amboss glanced around, taking account of his men. He trusted them, somewhat. He didn't need any of them wandering off and snooping around the locals homes. A few had been thieves and common crooks before joining his crew.

There were only two missing-Herm and Seven. He knew that Herm had social issues and was back at the ship. Seven also had social issues and was somewhere in the desert blowing up rocks. The kid trained his body and mind day and night. Probably so he could come kick Amboss's ass and leave the crew. Amboss didn't mind. When he had been younger, he had done much the same. But, as an old guy he had little desire to be a warrior anymore. It was a hard life and often led to death.

His cousin Dodoria had served Lord Frieza for decades, faithfully fighting as one of his agents. He had been killed in battle and had nothing, no true legacy. Amboss intended on doing something far better with his life-building an empire.

He went to take a third pull from his bottle and realized that he'd already drained it. With a frown he set it down in the sand and slapped his thighs with the palm of his hands.

"How far did Seven go to train Captain?" Birne asked.

Amboss shrugged. "I doubt he would train close to the town, that would frighten the villagers. He might be a primate, but he's not stupid."

A resounding crack filled Amboss's ears and followed Birne's line of sight. Greasy black smoke and flames on the horizon rose up towards the darkening sky.

"Look at that smoke-that doesn't look like dust from rocks being blown up," Birne said. "That's burning fuel. There's a ship over there?"

Amboss stood up. The villagers and his crew were all gawking. Birne, being the only one to wear a scouter, was frantically tapping the button on the side. It started to click and growl, scanning for any incoming energies.

"Six power levels approaching fast," Birne said.

Amboss walked around the fire and rested a hand on the Elder's shoulder. "Get your people to the shelter. Now!"

The next few moments fell into chaos. Villagers let out screams of terror as they were directed to the shelter. The shelter itself was little more than a tunnel into an old PTO surveillance bunker, which had probably been abandoned hundreds of years ago. The column was slow moving and Amboss could the six glimmering starbursts of their auras, growing brighter and larger by the second.

"Birne help them get those people inside. I'll handle the trouble," Amboss said.

"You sure Captain?"

"Yes. Go now."

Birne disappeared, moving fast towards the column of villagers. Amboss blasted off, flying straight for the incoming enemies, his violet aura crackling to life around him. He stopped a few hundred yards away from the village and floated there, his aura billowing bright and hot. They all came to screeching halts as well, their auras dissipating with near simultaneous flashes.

Amboss could see they were a motley bunch. He guessed at Bounty Hunters, by the gear they wore. Most had an ensemble of PTO style armor and tactical vests littered with dozens of random pouches, knives, and surveillance equipment. They also wore visored helmets and had blasters locked to their forearms. That he felt was a good indication of their strength. Typically warriors who wielded blasters weren't proficient at manipulating their spirit energy. Beneath their gear he could see they had skin colors various pastel hues. They also were a primate species.

That meant just one thing-Aestrulians. He frowned heavily at that notion.

If there were ever a primate species more hated than the Saiyans, it was the Aestrulians. There were several famous names that hailed from their world, such as Jeice and Salza. But, most were the dredges of the galaxy. They often worked as pirates, raiders and bounty hunters. But, not the good kinds of pirates like Amboss and his men.

They were the kind that would murder you then steal your ship.

Their tiny world had been absorbed by Lord Frieza in the beginning of his rule and he employed many of them as mercenaries. Where the Saiyans had worked as Frieza's conquerors, the Aestrulians worked as his goon squad and enforces-making sure people paid up what was owed.

The leader of this group wore a long white cape, made out of the fur of some sort of creature. He didn't have any armor on, instead a gaudy black ceremonial robe with frills and golden swirls. He had sandals on his feet and white leggings covering his legs. His long curly hair and bushy mustache seemed to be groomed perfectly.

_An ugly bastard. I bet he thinks he's beautiful though. Look at 'em._

"If is isn't Captain Amboss himself," the fancy Aestrulian said. "Come to surrender so fast?"

"Surrender?" Amboss said and laughed. "Why would I surrender to you?"

"Name's Kascade, the galaxy's premier bounty hunter. And, you sir, have a fat bounty on your head."

Amboss shrugged. He pointed to the black pillar rising up in the dark sky behind them. "What happened to your ship? Not taking me far without one of those."

"Oh?" Kascade said and looked over his shoulder nonchalantly. "That was just a shuttle. A shame really? Did one of yours do that?"

"Not sure what you're talking about," Amboss said.

"I hear you have a Saiyan in your crew. That's a rare find these days. He managed to take down our forward scout too, and she's a sneaky little bitch."

_So, someone went after Seven. Good thing that kid is tough as nails. He must have blown up their ship to warn us. Smart thinking, I'm going to have to give him a raise for that._

"My crew ain't your business," Amboss said. "I am."

Kascade pointed at Amboss and glanced sideways to his men. "Get him."

His cronies leveled their blasters. They let out a chorus of soft whirs as they charged energy. Amboss waited until they fired-unleashing a volley of yellow bolts. The bolts never hit him, instead they collided with each other, exploding into a big cloud of smoke and flame.

Amboss appeared in front of the Aestrulian at the left edge of their formation, punching a hole straight through his stomach. The other two beside him tried to flee but he grabbed them by their heads and slammed them together, hand still sticky with red blood. The sound of their skulls cracking against each other was like sweet music to the Captain's ears.

The two that were on Kascade's left spun around and leveled their blasters, floating backwards defensively. Kascade, not wanting to be in the line of fire, descended, landing atop a great big spire of rock to watch.

The two bounty hunters unleashed two more bolts. Amboss swept his great big arm across, knocking both aside. They spun off in random directions, exploding in the desert below.

Amboss opened his mouth, bright light glowing at the back of his throat. He loosed a giant beam that immediately plowed into the left bounty hunter. The right one had flown away just in time to miss its wrath, his own mouth agape with terror. The beam faded, leaving behind nothing more than raining ashes where his comrade had once been. Being the only survivor, the Aestrulian flew away, back towards their blown up ship, screaming. Amboss didn't bother chasing him. He had a bigger fish to fry.

He cracked his knuckles. "That was a shitty warm up."

Kascade smiled, his mustache crinkling up under his nose. "So you beat some rabble. That's not much to be proud of."


	14. Maximum

#14

Kascade flipped his cape over his shoulder and pointed a gloved finger at Amboss.

The Captain floated there watching and waiting for his next move. Most of the light had faded now, casting deep shadows across the desert. But, it wasn't that bad. Rallor had two small moons, one at crescent, the other at half. They cast the desert with a soft blue light from their perch in the sky.

Bright fuschia spirit energy crackled at the point of Kascade's outstretched finger, sending sparks and jagged bolts arcing away from his body.

"It's a shame. The bounty posted by the PTO Remnant wants you alive. That means I can't use lethal techniques on you," Kascade said.

"Gods, you're the type that likes to talk and brag. This is going to be annoying as hell," Amboss said. "How about you shut your _fucking_ trap and attack me already."

"Since you asked," Kascade replied.

Amboss had been expecting some sort of beam attack, a precision blast. Those were what fired from finger tips. Instead, Kascade unleashed a small and slow moving pellet of bright pink spirit energy. There wasn't any reason not to dodge it, and Amboss started to fly way.

"Expanding Wave!" Kascade cried out.

With a flicker of light the small pink bead burst outwards until it was hundreds of yards wide in all directions. Amboss raced towards the edge of it, realizing that it had increased in velocity too. With no where to run, he faced it and crossed his arms to shield his face.

The resulting explosion lit up the entire sky, bathing the desert for miles in a soft pink glow. Amboss blinked, dazed from the force of the impact and all the light that flooded his vision. He realized that he was falling now, the desert floor rushing up to meet him. With a burst of energy out of his hands, he stopped himself in the air and flipped around, landing on top of slanted jutting dome of rock.

Kascade cackled from his eyrie. "Everyone tries to dodge that. It's so funny the first time."

_It hurt pretty bad, but it wasn't all that potent. I wonder if this guy is holding back_, Amboss thought.

Amboss didn't feel like bantering with the fool any longer. He flickered from sight, appearing above the Aestrulian and lashed at him with a kick. Kascade stopped it with his forearm, but the force behind the kick knocked him from his pillar. Amboss pressed the attack, raining down punches in rapid succession. The smiling Aestrulian deflected them one by one, moving backwards through the air.

The Captain raised his hand high and came down, bright amethyst energy surging from his fingertips. Kascade stopped the punch, as he had done the others, but not the subsequent explosion sent him careening towards the ground. A fluttering ribbon of white smoke trailed off his body. He clipped through several mesas before skidding to a stop in the open sands.

Amboss flew over to him, listening to the roar of falling rock. Once he was directly over Kascade's landing spot, he trusted both hands down. How long had it been since he used this technique? Ten years, maybe longer?

"Maximum Buster!"

A giant globe of amethyst energy surrounded both hands and narrowed into a thin but extremely concentrated beam. It split the expanse between Amboss and Kascade in a heartbeat, plowing into the ground with a loud crackle. The bleam plunged deep into the earth and with such force that it sent large fissures spreading out in all directions.

Amboss separated his hands and the remaining energy detonated. He covered his eyes from the bright glow. A giant dome of spirit energy rose towards the heavens, along side a nice mushroom cloud. Bits of stone clattered against the Captain as he floated there, gazing down into the fiery abyss he had created.

The crater spread a hundred yards, if not further, in every direction. It was at least a hundred feet deep as well. The cooling rocks glowed a dim red. He couldn't' see anything through the smoke and lingering dust.

_It's over. It has to be. No one has survived that attack. _

Someone whistling made him spin around. Kascade stood at the edge of the great crater, unscahted. He waved and smiled.

"That would have hurt. But, I wasn't about to let you hit me," he said.

Amboss growled, "You're a cocky bastard."

"We Aestrulians aren't the strongest warriors in history, but we are _notorious _for our speed. You move way to slow big guy," Kascade said.

Amboss had enough. He channeled more energy into his hands and started to pump his arms. A stream of blasts erupted from him as he swung them back and forth rapidly. The edge of the crater denoted over and over again, as if it were being shelled by a hellish artillery barrage. He saw Kascade moving along the rim and swung around to track his movements. But, even though he led his foe, Amboss couldn't land a hit on him.

Frustrated, he brought his hands over his head once more and fired a second Maximum Buster, this one stabbing out diagonally, aimed a few dozen yard ahead of his fast moving foe. He hoped that Kascade would run straight into it.

The second explosion wasn't as dramatic as the first. This time though, he didn't pour half as much power into it. Regardless the blast wave from his own attack knocked him back and he was forced to flare his aura outward to keep himself levitating in the air.

The smoke parted suddenly and Kascade flew straight towards him. Amboss didn't stay still, and instead moved to intercept. The two warriors collided in the middle of the air with a thunderous crash. Arcs of white lightning fluttered out from where their fists met.

Amboss's strength proved superior as he felt Kascade's arm give under the pressure. The Aestrulian rolled to the side and swung his elbow at the Captain's head. Amboss ducked, feeling it graze the top of his bone studded skull. That gave him a good look at Kascade's body. His clothes seemed to be charred, especially his elegant fur cape.

_A stupid thing to wear into a fight._

Amboss grabbed the cape and yanked hard, whipping Kascade sideways. Just before he leg to of it, he was sure that he heard the Aestrulian make a gagging sound. Kascade plummeted, crashing into the side of the second crater. Tons of loose rock and sand fell down on top of him, entombing him a moment later.

Amboss knew that it was the perfect time for a follow up blast, but he was exhausted. He floated there gasping for breath. It had been a long time since he exerted himself like this and years of sitting on a ship and not training had caught up to him. Beads of sweat poured out of his coarse skin, trickling down his back and the side of his face.

The debris that had fallen on top of Kascade shot out in all directions as he loosed a concussive blast of energy. He stood up and reached to his neck, unclasping his cape. He flapped it a few times and beat it with his hand, knocking the dust out.

But, once he realized it was all burnt up, he frowned. "You're a Rhondorian, right?"

Amboss had mostly caught his breath. "I am. Why?"

"I read that your planet is volcanic and that your people can survive immense temperatures. Also that you seldom sweat, as retaining moisture is important to your biology," Kascade said.

"So what?"

"Well, you're sweating. That means you must be pretty damn tired."

Amboss gave him a fake grin. But, that didn't mean Kascade wasn't right. Being a Rhnodorian and sweating were not two things that happened often. He had spent a lot of energy and Rallor was hot enough a planet that it forced his body to try and cool itself.

"Just getting started."

"That's a bold faced lie. Plus, you ruined my cape. It was made from the fur of a Muspovian Sky-Wolf. Do you know how expensive their pelts are?"

"No and I don't care."

"You're a damn savage."

Kascade spread his legs out, bent his knees, and clenched his fists. Wisps of fuchsia light seeped from his pores and snapped into a blazing aura. The ground shook beneath his power up and Amboss grimaced. He couldn't let Kascade get to full power, doing so would a grave mistake.

Amethyst light flared up around his own body as he flew down at the Aestrulian, his fist cocked back. He didn't even get to throw his punch, as Kascade's boot crashed into his chin. It sent him bouncing across the crater and into the other side. Not wanting to be buried as Kascade had been a moment ago, he kicked off and charged across, his own boots crunching in the sand.

Kascade dipped around his strikes and riddled him with quick jabs. Amboss could feel them, spots of resonating pain all over his face and body. But, he ignored it as much as he could. He just needed to land a single good hit, enough to knock Kascade off balance. If he could get him like that, he could finish the fight.

After turning aside a heavy right hook, Kascade pointed his index finger,a glimmer of pink light at the end of it.

_Not this attack again._

Amboss fired a beam of his own just as Kascade loosed his slow moving blast. The Captain's beam devoured it and kept going onward. Amboss withdrew his hand when he felt no resistance. Kascade wasn't there anymore.

"I figured you would bite on that. It was just a dud."

Amboss turned as a buzzing sound filled the air. An arc of fuchsia flashed across his line of sight and he stumbled back. Kascade had a crackling blade of hot pink energy that jutted from the the flat of his hand.

A crippling pain hit Amboss and glanced down. A large swath had been cut out of his armor, across his chest diagonally. The wound was charred from the heat of the blade, but it still oozed blood. He fell to one knee, clutching his gut. It wasn't good, no doubt Kascade had cut him deep. In fact, if it weren't for his armor, he would have probably been two pieces.

"You're tough," Kascade said. He smoothed his mustache with his free hand. "I've never had that not cut someone in twain."

Amboss tried to respond, but ended up just vomiting up a lot of blood. Kascade cocked his arm back, blade sputtering, as he prepared to drive it straight through Amboss's chest.


	15. Teamwork

#15

_I should have attacked while I had the chance,_ Seven thought.

Seven stood atop a large mesa a few hundred yards from the battle, his figure shrouded in the shadows of dusk. He leaned forward, his eyebrows furrowed. He watched their fight with the utmost concentration, his ebony pupils flicking back and forth. Even so, he could just barely make out their movements. The Captain hadn't as hard to follow (it helped that he that he was big and purple,) but the bounty hunter moved so quickly that Seven's eyes lost him.

_I should have jumped in. It wouldn't have gone this far. Amboss picked me to be the muscle of his crew, his enforcer. Yet, I stood here and watched him get slashed._

After a nasty deception, the bounty hunter slashed the Captain's chest open with his fuschia energy blade. Seven didn't even know such a thing was possible to create with spirit energy. Before that, the fight had seemed in favor of Amboss. The Captain had been relentless with his attacks and forced the bounty hunter on the defensive. Seven thought had even thought he was going to win.

Now, Amboss would die if Seven didn't intervene.

_You wanted to see how strong your Captain was compared to you after all your training,_ the King's voice said. _You have shown true Saiyan pride by not intervening in his fight. But, he has fallen and it is time for you to pick up the scraps._

The short rest while watching the fight had been helpful. Just a few minutes prior, his energy had felt distant and depleted. Already he could feel it bulging up inside of him again, ready to be wielded.

His leg wound pulsated with pain, but the tourniquet kept him from bleeding out. Sure, the loss of blood made him light headed and a bit dizzy, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Fighting in such a condition would be tricky. If his opponent discovered his wound, he could use it to an advantage. But, that was one such risk that Seven was willing to take to protect his Captain.

He dropped into a low crouch, ready to leap into action. Before he could, he caught a flicker of emerald light above the battlefield. First Mate Birne appeared in a flash, his aura surging around him. He held out a giant sphere of crackling energy in front of him, which he fired at the bounty hunter below.

Without a scouter, the bounty hunter didn't see the attack coming until it was too late. The blast exploded with a flash of green light, scattering arcs of electricity into the air.

Seven winced away from the brightness and when he looked back, he saw Amboss stumbling backwards. His heel hit a rock and landed on his rump next to the newly formed crater. He slumped back, hold holding his bleeding stomach.

He was out of the fight, that was for sure.

The cloud of smoke and dust from the blast curled its way into the sky. Seven waited in anticipation as it dispersed to the wind. Birne remained floating, his arms outstretched still. Even from as far away as he was, Seven could see the First Mate's face twisted into a snarl of rage.

The Saiyan knew Birne wasn't powerful enough to take down the bounty hunter alone, not when some as strong Amboss had failed.. But, the sneak attack had caught the bounty hunter off guard. Seven couldn't help being hopeful that it had been enough to wipe him out.

With the smoke cleared, Seven saw the bounty hunter stand tall in the crater, his pink aura tight against his frame.. He seemed unscathed, but the heavy frown etched on his face told Seven that he was angry.

"And, who are you?" the bounty hunter called up.

"Birne, First Mate of Amboss's Pirates."

"Well, Birne, it seems you have picked the wrong opponent to mess with. My name is Kascade. You should know name of the warrior that will kill you.."

Birne's angry expression melted into one of fear when Kascade disappeared from sight.

_Brine can't track his movements. This will be bad, _Seven thought.

While he had been more than willing to let Amboss fight Kascade solo, he didn't feel the same with Brirne. The First Mate had proven to be weaker than Seven, and that made him vulnerable. The Saiyan disappeared, taking chase after Kascade-trying this hardest to catch up.

Even at Seven's top speed, Kascade appeared a distorted blur ahead of him.

Less than a heartbeat later Kaskade form materialized behind Birne as he came to a stop., He held the buzzing blade of spirit energy held over his head. Seven's white aura burst around him as he accelerated to catch up. The bounty hunter was going for the kill.

_I'm not going to make it._

In desperation, Seven snapped his hand forward and fired a palm sized ball of energy. It crashed into the bounty hunter's shoulder and exploded. Kascade let out a cry of dismay as he flew backward, streamers of smoke trailing off his body

"Seven?" Birne said. He whipped around in surprise.

"Let's take this guy down. Follow my lead, and don't get too close. He's a lot stronger than us. That energy blade might have only gouged the Captain, but it will kill us. Got it?" Seven whispered.

Birne nodded.

"Well-well," Kascade said, floating back up to them. With a flick of the wrist he dismissed his energy blade, sending flecks of purple light scattering away from his hand. "You must be the Saiyan that took down my colleague."

Seven didn't reply. He disappeared with a flicker of motion and re-appeared beside the bounty hunter with his heel stretched out. It based. Kascade in the face and he plummeted towards the earth. With an angry roar, he straightened himself, pink energy flaring around his form and then blasted back towards Seven to retaliation. Before he reached Seven, an emerald blast from Birine side-swiped him and sent him spinning through the air in the opposite direction.

Their numbers were their advantage. So long as they kept Kascade struggling, he would grow tired. At least, that's what Seven hoped would work.

Seven chased, appearing above him, and came down with a double-fisted swing. The blow drove Kascade through a nearby mesa and into the hard ground. He hit like a meteor, forming a giant gaping hole in the desert floor. A huge ring of dust and debris rippled outwards.

Seven knew better than to count such a powerful foe as defeated.

"Birne, fire at him now!""

Seven pumped his arms rapidly, unleashing a cascade of white energy spheres into the dusty hole. Birne followed his lead, also bombarding with a bright green salvo of his own. The constant explosions became a single deafening roar in Seven's ears. The cloud of dust and smoke grew thicker and thicker until Seven couldn't even see his blasts anymore. They became completely surrounded by it, and had no idea where they were shooting anymore.

Seven stopped and lowered his arms, sweat pouring down his face. There was no use wasting energy on a target he couldn't' see. Birne, following his lead, stopped as well. Fearing a sneak attack, they both flew backwards and up out of the smoke.

"Do you think-"

Birne's face was plowed in by a fist out of thin air. Kascade appeared like a phantom out of a swirl of smoke.

He looked ragged and pissed off-his robes tattered and torn, and his fabulous hair singed. His face was covered was blackened with burns and scuffs. His lips peeled back into a snarl as the First Mate was sent spiraling into the side one of the cliffs below. The impact shattered the entire mound of rock, sending a spiderweb of cracks spreading out hundreds of feet.

Seven cursed under his breath. He doubted Birne was getting up after that hit. Their bombardment had hurt the bounty hunter, but he wasn't defeated. That posed a problem.

The resolute Saiyan powered up, his aura surging bright and hot around him. He flew forward plowed his right knee into Kascade's lower back. The bounty hunter let out deep grunt as his body bowed backwards. He turned and managed to clip Seven with a retaliatory elbow. The blow cracked nose, sending hot blood spraying through the air.

Seven started to tumble through the sky, eyes watering and dazed, and fighting against the pull of gravity. He tried to use short controlled bursts of energy correct his course and stop the descent, but they just sent him tumbling faster. He screamed as his back cleaved through a pillar of jutting stone. He ping ponged off slabs of broken rock before rolling to a stop in a gravel filled pit.

The smoke of the bombardment enveloped him and he couldn't see out. That made him nervous, as Kascade could be anywhere. He clambered to his feet, groaning in pain.

Just as he feared, the smoke in front of him parted, revealing a giant curtain of fuchsia energy thundering towards him. He knew he couldn't get out of the way in time and he feared standing down such a vast attack. With a defiant roar, he focused all the spirit energy he could into his hands, cradling them together in front of him. A white sphere buzzed to life between them. It started palm sized but within the blink of the eye swelled into an orb bigger than his torso. With no time to spare, he unleashed it. The sphere shot across the expanse and collided with Kascade's energy wall with a blinding flash.

The two attacks, one compact white sphere ,and one giant pink wall, butted against each other with violent force. Wild bolts of pink and white lightning scattered away from them. The lingering smoke blew outward in concentric rings away from the collision point.. Seven saw his blast being pushed back and had no desire to stay there to wait for the outcome.

At least the energy struggle had bought him enough time to flee.

He dove for cover behind the fallen remains the mesa he had knocked Kascade through a moment earlier. Kascade's wall of energy overcame his blast finally, exploding on the desert floor with resounding force..

After catching his breath, Seven peeked up over the great cylinder of rock. Kascade floated in the sky laughing.

"The valiant crew defends their Captain. It's simply pitiful that they had to die."


	16. Savior

#16

_Keep laughing. I'm not dead yet,_ Seven thought.

He crept around the side of the rock until he was in position. His white aura crackled to life around him as he flew towards the bounty, leaving behind a white streak in the air. His shoulder drove into Kascade's stomach. Kascade let out a yelp that devolved into a hissing sound as the air escaped his lungs.

But, the tackle proved to be a poor choice. Kascade's elbow came down on the back of Seven's skull. A starburst of light filled the Saiyan's vision. He rocketed backwards, gripping the back of his skull, his scalp throbbing and dizziness washing over him. Kascade didn't chase him, but instead floated down, landing on top of a sheared column of rock.

"Your skills are wasted with these pirates," Kascade said. "How much do they pay you to fight for them?"

"That's not your business."

"Sure it is Saiyan," Kascade said. "I recognize talent when I see it. As of now you're a new pirate. It won't be long before you have a bounty put on your head. Then you will be a criminal. Pirates never pay their crew a fair share. I feel bad for you. Fighting so valiantly, risking your life for someone who hardly cares."

"What, exactly, _is_ your point?" Seven replied.

"Point is, kid-you should join me. I will pay you handsomely for your services. You can be a bounty hunter, doing a noble deeds and taking down the galaxy's most wanted criminals. You can really make a difference in this job. Or do you really want to keep stealing and hiding your whole life?"

"I'm not joining you," Seven said.

"Why not?"

There was his Saiyan pride, that kept him from leaving Amboss. The big purple guy had taken him in when he was lost and confused. He had proven to be a powerful warrior and had beaten Seven fair and square. Until Seven could challenge him again and win, he was indebted to his service.

There was also the other side of the coin, one he didn't like to admit. He had develope pride _in_ Amboss. That was a bit different. Kascade knew little about Amboss's true dream and what he did for people. As a pirate he did more for the huddled masses than any government or empire out there. The PTO Remnant were the true criminals. They lived only to hurt other people gain a profit for it. Amboss waged a one man war against them. He plundered their ships and sold what he found to those that needed it. If they didn't have any money, he gave it to them anyways. Any profits he did make were distributed evenly. He paid his crew well, often, and on time. Seven even had a decent amount of credits tucked away so far and wasn't even sure what do with them yet.

"It's something a man like you, with no _honor,_ wouldn't understand," Seven said.

"You're a fool like the rest of them. Looks like I'll have to kill you then. You're the last of the Saiyans, aren't you? It will be a sad moment for history."

Kascade clenched his fist and started to charge a great amount of spirit energy into it. Thickets of fuchsia lightning rolled off his body, dispersing into the air in scattering arcs of electricity. Seven braced himself, swelling his own body with energy, just in case. He tried to figure out his opponent's next move, and had a strong feeling something big was coming.

The bounty hunter chuckled. "The only one to ever survive this attack was _my_ boss, and he outclasses someone like you by miles."

Seven's aura flashed around him, burning tight against his skin. He braced himself for what was to come.

"Ultimate Expanding Wave!"

Kascade released a gargatuan pink blast-if you could call it that. Before, he had used a lesser version of the technique against Amboss and Seven. Comparatively speaking, if the original was a wall, this was an entire fortress in size bigger. The original also had been slow, but this attack moved with astounding speed. The air roared with its power and the ground below it crumpled. Hard rock and sand dissolved into nothingness as it passed.

Seven felt his stomach sink into a pit. Pure dread overcame him as he came face to face with annihilation.

Where could he go? No place was safe.

He also realized something. Behind him, a mile or so back, stood the village. If somehow did manage to get out of the way of the attack, it would keep plowing through the countryside until it wiped the entire village out.

Veins bulged in his arms and forehead as he powered up, gathering as much energy as his battered body could muster. It wasn't much, not nearly enough to overcome such an insurmountable attack, but he would make do-would try.

A flicker of movement brought his attention to the ground in front of him. Standing in the center of the tide of destruction, in harms way, was the little crustacean Herm. Seven couldn't believe his eyes. Why was Herm suicidal, just what was he planning?

Herm turned around, facing Seven instead of the blast, his multicolored shell pointed at the mass of crackling energy rolling in.

"Herm! Get out of there."

Then he remembered his battle against herm. The little guy had bounced back one of his attacks. Did that mean that he could do the same, even with one as big as this?

"Horu Horu!" Herm shouted.

The great curtain of energy crashed into Herm's back and then stopped-dead Fanning arcs of lightning shot from the back of Herm's shell.

It was a miracle. The mass of energy started moving in the opposite direction.

"What?" Kascade called out. Seven couldn't see him. He was somewhere behindthe curtain. "How can this be?"

Seven didn't want to stand around and wait for it to explode. "Herm, we have to get to the ship and get out of here."

He vanished and appeared beside the wounded Captain. He slung one beefy arm around his shoulder and hefted the big guy up. Across the chasm, Seven saw Herm plucking Brine out of the side of a cliff with one mitten like claw.

"No-no-no!" Kascade cried. The Ultimate Expanding Wave stopped for a moment, no doubt held in place its own creator as he struggled for his life Seven didn't think he would be able to hold it for long, it had been vastly powerful. But, his struggle did buy them more time to get away before it went off. They both flew as fast as they could away from the blast zone.

Just as they reached the canyon where the ship had been parked, the Ultimate Expanding Wave detonated. Night had finally fallen, but for a long minute it didn't seem as such. A he pink dome lit up the entire desert as far as Seven could see. 

A concussive wave of air slammed into them. Seven veered hard, trying steer himself back on course. Good thing he didn't have to go very landed in front of the _Blushing Maid_, just as a hail of falling rocks started to drop all around them. Herm leaned Birne against the hull and straightened his head when it tried to slump.

_Plink, plink, plink_, the rocks sounded as they bounced off the hull of the ship.

"Herm save Saiyan friend. Herm glad," the little crustacean said in his thrumming voice.

"You did and I'm really grateful. That guy was a lot tougher than he looked," Seven said.

Seven set the Captain down, gently propping him against the side of the ship next to Birne. Amboss was still breathing, which was a good sign. But, the wound across his stomach and chest looked gruesome. Seven thought he would need the healing tank for sure.

Brine had just gotten knocked out, and would be all right after some rest.

"Are you hurt?" Seven asked Herm. He placed a comforting hand on little guy's head.

It was then Seven noticed the giant cracks that had begun to spiderweb across his shell. Flakes of opalescent chitin peeled away, only to be taken by the wind.

"Herm okay. Toru Toru is broken though."

The shell shattered like glass, crumpling into a pile at his feet. The crustacean looked so much smaller without his shell, making Seven frown. He didn't know much about the little guy and had a hard time reading his expression-with the whole multiple beady eyes and mandibles instead of a mouth thing.

Herm didn't _seem _upset though. He just stood there. Seven noticed he was staring off into the distance, watching the mushroom cloud rise into the night sky.

"Seven think bad man dead?"

"There's no way he survived that blast. If he did, he's dying anyways. We need to get out of here and fast," Seven said.

"Herm think so too."

The other crew members had begun filing off the ship, their faces sunken with horror at the explosion. A handful of medics rushed over and started to gather up the Captain and Brine, carrying them onto the ship. Herm shuffled his way up the cargo ramp, leaving behind his busted shell without even a second glance.

Seven, however, did take one last look at the giant cloud and breathed a sigh of relief. He had survived this battle. But, there were even stronger foes out there still. Would they come for them? Only time would tell.

That alone sent shivers of anticipation down the young Saiyan's spine.

Just how powerful these people get?


	17. Luck

#17

The hatch swished closed behind Seven as he entered the medical bay. The medic, a short scale headed alien worked at the console. Amboss was within the rejuvenation chamber beside it, submerged in its sticky green waters. Torrents of bubbles rose up all around him. His expression behind the respirator mask was blissful. Seven imagined he was dreaming of something pleasant.

"How is he?"

The medic snorted. "He was nearly dead when you got him in here. All the layers of his Flexweave armor were sheared through and also several layers of his skin. Rhondorians have thick hide like skin and are covered in bone protrusions. Whatever it was had to be sharp, and hot-as it's all cauterized too. That probably saved him, after all. He didn't bleed out."

"Lucky bastard," Seven said and shook his head.

"How about you? Let me take a look at that leg of yours," the medic said.

Seven grunted as he hefted his leg up onto the bench. Until that moment he hadn't been thinking about it. It seemed as soon as he reminded himself of the wound, it started to throb. The medic unraveled his makeshift tourniquet and the pain returned in force. Seven winced.

"Damn, it nearly grazed an artery. You're one lucky bastard too," the medic said.

He sprayed some of the BioGen into the wound with a bottle and then sealed the wound shut with a sticky gel. After wrapping it, he sent Seven on his way.

"No training until it heals. Got it?"

"Got it," Seven said.

His boots clanked on the metal grating as he moved down the main corridor of the _Blushing Maid_. Crew members scuffled by, looks of terror on their faces. No doubt the sudden defeat of their Captain was unsettling. Ahead, a circular, double reinforced hatch indicated the bridge. Motors whirred and hydraulics hissed as it opened up. The bridge itself wasn't too big. It had a an upper platform that led all the way to a giant view-port. There were wells on each side of the platform, where computer stations lining the bulkhead. Crew members sat at the stations, the dull glow of screens illuminated the entire chamber.

First Mate Birne stood beside the Captain's chair, his arms folded behind his back. He had several bandages wound around his oblong head. His armor was still cracked and scuffed from the battle.

A short yellowed skinned alien approached the First Mate and handed him a data-pad. He glanced it over and tapped it a few times. Seven approached on his flank, looking out the view-port into the dull yellow-red sphere of Rallor, filling up the entire field of view.

"What now?" Seven said.

"Our primary concern is getting the Captain to safety. But, there's another ship out there. I think it might be that Bounty Hunter's."

"The _Blushing Maid _has stealth capabilities. Can't we just get out into open space and make a jump?" Seven asked.

A few months prior, Seven had known little to nothing about space and spaceflight-other than the conditioning provided to him as a baby. However, that had mostly taught him how to use an Attack Pod, not an actual starship.

Piloting and maneuvering a starship was extremely complex. Space combat itself was dangerous even when you had an advantage, and suicidal when you didn't. Amboss had taught him that it was best to avoid engaging another ship if at all, if possible. If the hull ruptured in the wrong spot, the ship would be compromised and people would surely die. Rapid decompression was a violent death.

Amboss always placed an emphasis on stealth and ambush. He said it was the best way to fight against another ship. Often he would wait until a ship landed on a planet, or at a star base of some sort. Then he would make his move, attacking it while the crew were away or even distracted.

Most often, the people being pirated didn't know until Amboss and his crew were long gone.

"Ordinarily, yes. But, they sent out scanner probes all throughout Rallor's orbit. We're playing a cat and mouse game. If we venture too far from the planet, they'll get a lock on us," Birne explained.

Seven swallowed the lump of fear growing in his throat. Fighting a person on land was one thing. He could deal with that. For this though, he was useless. He had only just learned how to use the targeting system and often times sucked miserably in the simulations. Amboss pressured him to learn how to be a gunner, but he was more interested in his hand to hand combat skills.

"What do we do then?"

Birne remained silent for a long moment. "I know what the Captain would do. But, I don't think that is a good idea."

"Well, the Captain is taking a long nap," Seven said. "So, you're in charge. What are you going to do?"

The First Mate stared off into space for a long moment before nodding. He was probably reassuring himself, Seven guessed. Birne tapped the data pad a few times, then handed it back to the crewman. He walked around Seven and stood in front of Amboss's seat. Hesitantly, he lowered himself into it. Seven wanted to laugh, but didn't. Birne looked like a tiny person sitting in a giant's chair-only because Amboss was naturally a big bastard.

Birne pressed a button on the arm, opening up a line on the ship's PA system. HIs voice echoed throughout the ship, reaching all the crew's ears.

"This is First Mate Birne. I am acting as Standing Captain until Captain Amboss is better. I am appointing Seven as Standing First Mate until I can resume my role. Now that is out of the way, I will need all of you at battle stations. I repeat-battle stations."

Seven felt his jaw slacken a bit. He could barely even be a gunner, let alone a First Mate. While he agreed with Birne stepping in as Captain, he didn't agree with such an appointment. There were far better suited crewmates, many who were veterans of operating the_ Blushing Maid_. Seven was just the muscle of the crew.

Regardless, the Standing Captain had said battle stations, so he rushed to the First Mate's seat, which was next to the helmsman. He climbed down the ladder in to the well, and slid into the seat.

The helmsman beside him chuckled. He was an old looking alien with leathery black skin and a tall spire of bright red hair. Amboss always bragged about how he was the best pilot he ever seen. Seven just hoped the helmsman was good enough to pick up the slack he was about to create.

"Strap yourself in kid," the helmsman said. "Don't touch anything unless I tell you."

"Got it," Seven said. "Not sure why he made me First Mate."

"Probably because you saved the Captain's and the First Mate's tail back there. Think of it as an honor, not a practical decision."

"R-Right."

The ship's engine's thrummed to life and out the view-port the ship lurched into motion.

"The enemy ship is a _Howle_r-class warship, one of the newer models built by the PTO Remnant. That means one thing-we're severely outgunned. The only way we're getting away from Rallor is with speed-a lot of it. So, I want you to take us in a tight orbit, not too far out because we don't want to risk triggering the scanner probes looking for us until we're shooting away."

Seven had a basic understand of what Birne was trying to do. He wanted to use the planet's gravity and movement as slingshot to hurl them into deep space. It was kind of like throwing a rubber ball at speeding train. The speed and force would multiply accordingly.

Essentially, using gravity, they could gain more velocity than the ship's fusion torch engines would allow on their own. It was a bit of an archaic maneuver and had risks of its own, but it was better than going toe to toe against a superior vessel.

Seven felt his fingers curling around the arm of his seat, squeezing the metal. It wasn't long before the planet was whipping past them, a red and yellow blur. The metal of his chair shrieked and he forced himself to stop, before he crushed the arms of it.

The ships inertial compensators struggled to fight against the force of gravity pressing onto the ship. Seven was slammed into his seat by the heavy hand of g-force physics.

"Easy, easy," Birne called. "Steady as she goes, steady."

The durasteel of the hull creaked and popped. Droplets of cold sweat trickled down Seven's brow. There were only a few inches of thin metal between him and a hard vacuum. There was nothing more terrifying. Anymore g-force and the ship would crumple up like a piece of metal foil.

Just as it seemed the entire ship was about to shake apart, it all stopped. The slingshot was complete, and the glittering darkness of space filled the view-port. They were speeding away from Rallor. It was a sprint towards safety.

"The enemy detected us," the radar officer shouted out. "They're moving to engage, but are a few thousand kilometers off."

"They won't be able to catch us. Not now," Birne said, but his voice squeaked with fear.

"Shit, Captain, we have at least a dozen kinetic rounds incoming," the radar officer said.

"We're not fast enough to escape those," Birne said. He activated the PA again. "Everyone, brace for impact,"

A kinetic round had landed a glancing blow, skipping off the ship's shields with a dazzling array of had been right beside the bridge.

Seven thought he was going to get thrown from his seat, and he held on, using just enough strength so he didn't tear the arm off. Some other crewmates were thrown, crying out in pain as they slid across the deck.

The bridge lights went out and the displays on all the computer consoles dimmed as the shields drew power to recharge.

Other rounds streaked by the ship, missing completely. There were so many of them that Seven didn't know the enemy ship was missing so badly. The bridge lights came back on and Seven heard a blaring alarm coming from his console. The engineer in charge of the shields was still scrambling back into his own seat.

"Starboard shields are at twenty five percent," Seven called as he read the display.

"Lower port shields by 25% and bolster starb-" Birne started to say.

_Boom!_

A second round clipped the rear of the ship, popping the already weakened shields like a bubble. Great arcs of radiation tore away from the ship, fanning out into space. The entirety of the Blushing Maid shuddered hard and Seven heard a series of thunderous pops, a indication decompression deep within.

The bridge became submerged in red light. Sirens screeched in warning.

"C-Captain the round penetrated the cargo hold. No casualties as far as I could tell, though we've lost a good deal of cargo."

"Forget about that. Cut off the life-support systems to the cargo hold and have the area locked down. No one goes in there until we can get the breach sealed. Was nothing important hit?"

"Not that I can tell, we're lucky."

"More luck," Seven muttered. "Let's just hope it doesn't run out soon."

"Sir, the hyperdrive is fully spooled," the helmsman said.

"Good, make the jump now!" Birne shouted.

Space itself seemed to bow inward and a moment later they were in a tunnel of rippling light and darkness-hyperspace. The _Blushing Maid_ was safe, for a while.

Birne pressed the PA button again, his voice crackling on the speaker overhead. "Good work everyone. We made it free of Rallor without sustaining too much damage. Let's get some rest and get things patched up. I have a strong feeling this isn't over."


	18. Fear

#18

Uzu lowered himself into the warm bath waters. Steam rolled through the air of the bathhouse like a thick fog. The entire place was empty, except for the two guards in battle armor that stood at the door. After a long day of training, the heat of the water drew out the pain from Uzu's muscles and he relaxed, leaning back and closing his eyes.

Beads of sweat trickled down his pale blue flesh and over the hard angles of his muscles. He spotted movement out of the corner of his eye and sat up. His retainer, Jaga, was a robust creature of the Scrodan race. He had pallid yellow skin, eyes rimmed with bright red blood vessels, and a maw of sharp teeth. A single tuft of bright violet hair protruded from his bulbous forehead. Instead of ears he had circular holes and he often wore loose fitting robes over his fat rolls. As hideous as he was, Uzu appreciated his intelligence and manners.

Manners were very important for a retainer.

"L-Lord Uzu," he said in his scratchy voice. "I didn't mean to interrupt your relaxation. But, I have urgent news."

"You know I don't like to be interrupted when I'm soaking. What is it?"

Jaga gulped. "Kascade has arrived."

Uzu slithered down into the water, until nothing more than the ridge of his nose was exposed. He blew bubbles with his mouth. Jaga stood the pool's side, trembling. Uzu could see him doing it, even through the murky waters. He hated when Jaga trembled-it was so weak and pathetic.

At the same time Uzu cherished it. Just being within his presence did that to Jaga. There was nothing better to inspire loyalty than fear. Uzu had served Lord Frieza after all, in the Aestrulian Special Operations squadron. It seemed like an entire lifetime ago that he toiled under the PTO. He was glad those days were over, but if it weren't for them, he would have never of learned the best way to ensure your followers were obedient.

Lord Frieza had been kind, even generous at times. He had rewarded those that impressed him with riches, planets, and soldiers. To those who opposed him-well Uzu could only think of the Saiyans as a prime example. The Saiyans had been his strongest soldiers. They had conquered planets at the fastest rate and with least amount of losses. More so than any other fighting force employed under Frieza's banner at the time.

Rumor had been that some had even rivaled the notorious Ginyu Force and had surpassed Aestrulian Special Operations teams in terms of raw fighting power, especially in their Great Ape forms. No doubt such a power in foot soldiers made Lord Frieza antsy. The Saiyans had begun to take things in their own hands, had challenged his absolute rule. For that, their entire world had been wiped from existence.

Prince Vegeta and his two minions were the only ones to have survived the genocide. Frieza's untimely death at the hands of a Super Saiyan was something of legend, a mythos at this point. Uzu had no idea if it were even true, but regardless, Frieza's had taught him a great deal.

Sure, Uzu wasn't as prideful or nasty as Frieza. Still, he didn't allow for weakness or rebellion. Kascade had failed him and for that he had an important decision to make. If he let Kascade off, it might make him look lenient, even merciful. That could be a bad thing. If he killed Kascade, that would make it known that failure was not an option.

He decided that he would see how Kascade explained himself. That seemed like the best measure. It wasn't always a good thing to jump to conclusions.

"M-My Lord? Should I send for him?" Jaga asked.

Uzu pushed himself up out of the water again. "What did I say about rushing me?"

"I am s-sorry!"

Uzu shot forth invisible tendrils of his spirit energy, wrapping them around Jaga's chubby torso. He lifted Jaga up, and then hurled him across the bathhouse. The retainer crashed into the wall beside the door and slid down, landing flat on his face. He let out a low grunt and stumbled to his feet. A stream of liquid had poured out of his underside onto the floor and stained his white robes yellow.

He had pissed himself.

"Send for Kascade. Oh-you've pissed yourself. Clean that up," Uzu said.

"Y-Yes m-my lord."

It was at least ften minutes later before the doors opened again and Kascade strode in. His boots clicking on the marble floor. Uzu floated back, his eyes closed, even when Kascade came to a stop. Though Uzu couldn't see him, he knew Kascade was standing there at attention. Despite all his flaws, Kascade was loyal and obedient to him. Uzu let him wait a few minutes as he soaked and then casually stood up. Rivulets of warm bath water flowed off his hard frame.

"I found you as a street rat on Aestrulia," Uzu said. "You were picking out of ruins and scrap yards, dirty faced, weak and pitiful. I should have killed you. But, I didn't. You know why?"

Kascade normally kept his appearance up. He loved to wear fashionable clothes and make sure his hair was perfect. But, he looked far more rugged now. His face was covered in bruises and silky from freshly healed burns. His bushy mustache had been trimmed to a thin line, and his once long curly hair was short cropped, just above the ear. He looked miserable. The question seemed to make him droop even more.

_His spirit is broken_, Uzu thought to himself_. He thinks he's a dead man._

"Because you knew my cousin Jeice. He was one of the best warriors in the galaxy. You said that I was cut from the same cloth and the fact that I survived on Aestrulian all alone, it was impressive."

"You had a will, the same sort of will a warrior needs. I knew you would make a great bounty hunter. I trained you, taught you what I know," Uzu continued.

"I am grateful Lord Uzu, for all that you have taught me."

"So tell me then, Kascade, why did you fail me?"

Kascade winced. He started to slump, but straightened himself up. "My Lord, I had defeated Amboss the pirate and was about to bring him back. But, I ran into an unforeseen complication. The same one that Nyra did. Amboss has a Saiyan in his crew. He is formidable. I don't know how, but he managed to throw back my Ultimate Expanding Wave. I couldn't escape it, I almost died."

"Hmm."

Uzu rose from the bathwaters, stark naked. He grabbed his silken red robe off the peg on one of the support columns and wrapped himself in it, tying it off at the waist. Standing in front of Kascade, he towered over him by at least a foot or so.

He grabbed Kascade by the chin and pulled him close, turning his head side to side. The burns were quite bad, and it would take Kascade many BioGen treatments to recover fully. Uzu could see on his forearms were the skin was smooth and glossy too. He wasn't lying, he had been engulfed.

Uzu released him and strode past, stopping only to glance back.

"But, you've paid the price for your failure. Your coveted beauty has been ruined. Now, you're disfigured and hideous. You may stay in my service, stay my student. But, until you've proven yourself, you're to receive no further BioGen treatments for your scars. I want you to keep them, to look in the mirror and recognize how you've failed me."

"My Lord is merciful," Kascade said. His voice seemed to crack, maybe with relief or with sorrow.

"Oh-Nyra, where is she?"

"She's at the hospital as we speak, in a the Rejuvenation Chamber. Her back was broken severely."

"Poor girl. I told you to protect her, Kascade."

Kascade turned to face Uzu's back and lowered his head. "My Lord, I am sorr-"

Uzu cut him off, waving his hand. "The Saiyan got her too eh? Maybe Lord Frieza did get killed by a Saiyan after all. Formidable bastards, if I had known I wouldn't have let you two go after him alone. Well, we're not giving up on catching Amboss. I'll take it from here."

"Then you should know my lord, that our ship was able to pursue Amboss. They have calculated several potential coordinates his ship might have made a hyperspace jump to. I've sent probes to each of them to check and see where he arrived."

Uzu chuckled and walked out of the bathhouse, his guards flanking him. "Good. Why don't you soak for a while Kascade? You have my permission. You look tired."

* * *

_Hello everyone!_

_It's been awhile since I've made an author's note. I think this story is going well so far. I'm still having a blast writing it. The past few weeks have been busy for me, as I've moved into a new apartment. I've only been able to get out a single chapter each release day. Never the less, I feel like they've been solid and interesting chapters (at least I hope so.)_

_For those of you who are loyal readers, please I ask of you one thing. Leave some reviews. Especially if you like something. Well, you're more than welcome to give criticism as well, I am a good sport. I'd like to know what you all are thinking. Suggestions about the characters or the story would be good as well.  
_

_It's often nice to get a fresh perspective on things.__  
_

_Any questions, feel free to ask me! _

_I'm hoping that I will have two chapters available on Sunday, and we'll see where Seven's story is going next! _


	19. Flushed

#19

AGE 820, RUINS OF PLANET VEGETA

_Your crewmates are weaklings, it's about time you destroy them and move on,_ the King's voice encroached his peace, thrumming in from the back of his mind. His meditation was shattered..

Herm, the little crustacean had taught him how to clear his mind and relax his body, which allowed his spirit energy to flow freely. By doing so he could explore the depths of his energy and become more acquainted with it. In many ways it was just as important as training to exert his energy. It helped him acquire better control.

Of all the crew members, the little cook seemed to be the most spiritual. He often meditated and practice his strange martial art when he wasn't needed in the kitchen. He wasn't the strongest, but he had a good understanding of power and how to control it. Birne was more of an intellectual and if Amboss did know anything, he refused to share it. Seven felt no dip in his pride by taking suggestions from Herm-he had no other teachers.

But, for some reason that other part of him wanted to feel insulted. Wanted to crush Herm like a bug.

_I will rid myself of you. You're a distraction. _

_Hah! You can never rid yourself of me. I am a part of you, I am in the very roots of your mind. Until you embrace your heritage and your purpose, I will forever haunt you_, the King's voice responded.

Seven remembered Shali, her kindness and the way she treated him like a person. He would always remember that. It had shaped him and molded him into who he was. Without her, he would be a cruel monster-a force of instinct and hunger-murderer and destitute.

Part of him wondered what had happened to her. Had they imprisoned her, had they executed her for her treason? He hoped not. A lump rose in his throat the more he thought about it. He wished he had brought _A Warrior's Tale_ with him, but he had left it under his pillow in his cell. The book had been so insightful, a harrowing story of the world's greatest warrior making the right choices, making powerful sacrifices.

The Saiyans had been conquerors and murderers. Seven had no desire to follow that path. His people had paid the price for their violence. They were a dead race now. Seven was among the last, if not the very last one of them.

_I can't atone for their sins, but I can choose to not commit them_.

_You're a coward. You failed your mission, you're running away from your destiny. _

_If my destiny constitutes running head long into murder and genocide, I'm glad I've ran away from it._

Though his meditation was broken already, his introspection was shattered when a voice came over the PA. He was surprised to hear it was Amboss.

"This is your Captain speaking. I'm on my feet once again and I have you all to thank for that. But, we're not out of the fire yet. We're being hunted by one of the galaxy's most renowned Bounty Hunters. We all need to be on point from here on out and prepared at any minute to assume battle stations. Amboss-out."

Seven uncurled his legs and rose from the cold metal deck. He grabbed a shirt from the rack next to his bunk and slipped it on. The door to his chambers slid open and he stepped into the corridor. The ship was running in stealth mode, so the lights were dim, just barely enough to illuminate the hall. There was little traffic in the halls, as most of the crew were in the quarters at this time, or at their stations.

On the bridge, he found a contrasting flurry of activity. Everyone was hard at work. Amboss sat in his chair once again. He wore no armor, and only had a white bandage wrapped diagonally across his torso where his wound had been. No doubt he had left the healing chamber early. Seven didn't blame him. He could think of nothing worse than being nearly comatose at a time when your crew needed you the most.

"Hey kid," Amboss said as Seven approached his side.

"Captain," Seven said. "How are you feeling?"

"Still hurts like a bitch," Amboss said, running a hand down his bandages, and then chuckled. "But, I'm alive-and I have you to thank for that."

"Me? First Mate Birne is the one that saved you from the killing blow," Seven said.

"Well-the both of you. Birne and Herm told me about how fiercely you fought to protect me. That I can't forget or even let slide," Amboss said.

"It's nothing. It's what you brought me on for."

"When I took you in, you were lost and confused. I knew you wouldn't ask for help, so I had to force you to accept it. But, I don't feel like it needs to be that way anymore. I don't want to feel like I'm holding your leash. You've done me a solid and you're free to go if you please."

Seven smirked. "I'll stay."

"Why?"

"Well, Captain, you're a shitty pirate but a good man. I kind of like what we do."

Amboss's only response was a bout of hearty laughter.

"Captain, we're detecting another probe nearing," First Mate Birne said from his console.

"It's not safe to return to base-dammit," Amboss said. "We need to warn them, get the place evacuated before its detected."

"What's going on?" Seven asked.

"They're trying to flush us out like Rhondorian scarab-rats," Amboss said. "When we made the hyperspace jump, they must have calculated all our possible jump points, based on trajectory. Seeing as this is the only place with such a boisterous field of rubble, and good hiding spots, they've focused their probes to scan here. It won't be long before they find us our the base and when they do-well-I fear what will happen next."

"They have has cornered. Why not just fight them?"

"If you think Kascade was strong, their leader is even more powerful. You see, we're being hunted by Lord Uzu," Amboss said. "And he has a small fleet of _Howler-_class ships. There's no way we can win in space or on ground."

Seven had no idea who Lord Uzu was supposed to be, but things didn't seem good if Amboss was afraid of him. He hated feeling powerless like this, but he had to trust the judgement of the Captain. He just wished he could do more.

"The probe has passed. Shall we move into position and send the short range communications burst?" Birne asked.

Amboss seemed to chew on the question for a long minute. "Do it."

In stealth mode the ship glided through space at much slower pace than usual. It was a long torturous advanced towards the asteroid base. The pilot kept the ship as close to other asteroids as it could, using them like cover.

The base came into view. It was just a giant pockmarked asteroid, a slab of planet Vegeta after its explosion. None of its inner workings could be seen from the outside. The entrance points were veiled in thick darkness, being that they were at the bottoms of giant holes. The base itself had been built under hundreds of feet of solid rock, masking any heat signatures that infrared might betray.

The issues weren't how it was built or where it was built. Seven understood now. So far they had been lucky. The base hadn't sent out any long range communications signals. The moment they did that, they would be revealed. It was like turning a light on in a dark room. They would be finished.

"What are you going to tell them? To hunker down?" Seven asked.

Amboss shook his head. "No to run."

"I don't under-"

"Well, the plan has two main benefits. First off, it allows for them to evacuate, but also puts a great number of ships into space. We can use that moment to escape with them. Yes, it abandons our base, but the base isn't the important part, it's all those that have pledged loyalty to us. We can rebuild, but not without all of them. You see?"

"Sending short range burst," the comm officer said as they were close enough.

"Abort! Abort! Two _Howler_-class warships have just jumped out of hyperspace-six-thousand kilometers out. I repeat, abort!" Birne called out.

"T-Too late sir, I already sent the communication," the comm officer repeated, his voice hoarse with fear. "Uhh-sir incoming message from the enemy."

"Patch them through," Amboss said, his voice darkened by rage.

A blue skinned Aestrulian appeared on the display. Unlike Kascade, his features were hard. He had jagged scars down the side of his face, stubble lining his chin. Also, his blonde hair was cropped short in a military style cut.

"We've been a short jump away, watching this whole time. Our probes picked up the residual radiation of your ship, despite it running in stealth mode. The damages you received have left you vulnerable. I don't expect we can catch you now, nor do I expect you will fight. I just thank you for showing me where your secret base is. Flushing you out of here will make my job easier later on."

"No!" Amboss shouted.

The cameras zoomed in on the enemy ships. Kinetic rounds streaked through space. The side of the asteroid exploded silently, sending out plumes of heat and displaced rock. The ships pounded the asteroid over and over again.

Ships began to pour out of the holes, dozens of them-from small pods to larger freighter vessels. Seven winced as the fire was focused on them instead. The kinetic rounds plowed through, taking out two or three ships at at time. A large cloud of debris veiled the asteroid and Seven strained to see what was happening.

A few ragged ships managed to escape, flickering into hyperspace a moment later.

"Hyperdrive is ready sir," the helmsman said.

Amboss sunk in his chair and put two fingers to the bridge of his nose, squeezing it. "Go, just go."


	20. Treasure

#20

"I hear you've been helping the Chief out," Captain Amboss said in the mess hall. He sat down on the bench across from Seven.

The mess hall was empty, most of the crew had eaten their lunch already. Amboss had a steaming bowl of stew. Seven hadn't opted for the stew. Herm always made him a special meal, dense, often a stir fry with special protein rich meat and calorie heavy vegetables and grains. The little crustacean said that he had done a lot of research on Saiyan diets and that normal food would never subdue their hungers.

Since joining Amboss's pirates, Seven had not gone hungry at all.. He was grateful for that. His many years in the cell back on Sorn had always been tough. No matter what he ate, his hunger never subsided-always gnawing at him.

"I'm doing what I can to help," Seven replied and tore a bit out of the meat in his bowl.

"Aren't we all," Amboss said, poking at his soup with a spoon

Despite their progress, a stale taste of defeat hung in the air and Seven couldn't handle it.

The crew members aboard the _Blushing Maid_ moved about their day with slumped shoulders and hanging heads. Seven spent most of his time in the cargo hold, where the repairs were still underway. They had managed to seal the hold up by welding panels over the opening created by a kinetic round.

The engineering crew members were working around the clock to restore lighting, proper atmosphere control, and artificial gravity as well. In the meanwhile, they had set up a portable atmosphere generator in there so the crew could work without wearing space suits. The zero-gravity environment, however, was quite annoying when trying to get things done.

Seven mostly helped them with physical labor. It was about all he knew how to do. Not that he didn't pay attention the mechanical work they were doing. The Engineering Chief was the same species as Birne, one of the oblong headed race that Seven still hadn't learned the name of. He had deep gray skin covered in black speckles and seemed a good deal older than Birne. He was very kind and patient.

A few time, when the staff were sleeping or someone was on an important task, the Chief let Seven make some of the welds. He taught him on how to use the torch and where to apply the flame and bonding agent.

Seven enjoyed welding and kept hoping that the Chief would offer him to do more. Learning how to do new things was far more entertaining than moving heavy pieces of metal and equipment.

"We can defeat Lord Uzu and rebuild, right?" Seven asked.

"I don't know if it's that simple. I think… our enterprise might be done for," Amboss said. "If the rumors are true, Uzu is one of the most powerful warriors in the galaxy. He has his sights set on me and I don't think he will stop until he has me in a PTO prison. My bounty isn't chump change either, so he has all the incentive to keep trying. I will make him one of the richest people in the galaxy once he has me.."

Seven frowned. "We can't let him get you. What if we exchange something of value? Pay him the bounty he seeks."

"You're suggesting we pay him off? Hm. That might work, only if prestige matters little to him. If he's hunting me for that-he wont' stop no matter what he's offered. It's a PTO Remnant bounty on my head after all-we would have to come up with twenty million credits. I don't have anywhere near that amount.."

Seven shrugged. "We're pirates, right? Isn't acquiring rare treasures part of the job. So, why don't we find some."

Amboss let out one of his hearty chuckles. "Secret treasure huh? You read too much kid."

"Captain, I'm being serious."

Amboss scratched his chin for a long minute, seemingly mulling it over.

"You know, you might be onto something kid. I always dreamed of finding the Repository of the Gods. It's a legendary place, only the few and the chosen have ever visited there. Those that returned had only spoke of great wonders.

"From what I heard, apparently there are ancient vaults containing valuable artifacts and treasures lost to time. It's not just ripe for the plucking. Supposedly, the Repository is guarded by an order of Warrior-Monks that train and fight with a fierce dedication. I don't think it would be easy to raid such a place, even if we are able find out where it is. I heard Lord Frieza was looking for it for decades and never found it, before he went chasing some other treasure on Planet Namek."

"Repository of the Gods," Seven said as if he were sampling the word on his tongue. "Well, from the books I've read the pirates in it always started off with a lead of some sort-usually a map or a rumor. That's what we need. If we could find out what Lord Frieza knew, we might be able to pick up where he left off."

"Seven-this might just work. I know a guy in the PTO, actually" Amboss said, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "And, he owes me a favor. We'll pay him a visit. This might be our only chance to find a way out of this mess."

* * *

Lord Uzu, draped in deep burgundy robes, stood looking out the viewport of his ship _The Angel of Death_.

She was a Howler-class vessel, a new age PTO Remnant warship. It had double the amount of armaments than default configuration and upgraded engines. The hull was also decorated with shiny reflective silver and gold paneling, making the stars gleam off its surface as it glided through space.

After reducing Amboss's base to molten slag, Uzu had continued the cat and mouse game. They had been trailing the _Blushing Maid _for days, having only lost its exact position a day or so ago. Their trail of radiation had gone cold and no hyperspace jumps had been made. They were adrift out there, and no doubt had made repairs enough to stop the radiation leakage.

Eventually, the _Blushing Maid_ would have to go to port-for supplies and fuel. That's when Uzu would strike and capture his prey.

In the corner. Kascade brooded silently against the bulkhead, also gazing out the viewport. Uzu knew that he wanted to get his vengeance, he wanted to destroy the Saiyan for what he had done. At first he had been hesitant to let Kascade fight again. But, he had decided that if the situation arised, he would grant him that privilege. The young Aestrulian needed to regain some honor. Uzu was already sick of his sulky attitude.

The hatch behind him opened with a swish and Nyra entered, her heeled boots clicking on the smooth polished deck. She wore typical Flexweave armor. The skin tight jumpsuit she wore beneath it betrayed all of her voluptuous curves. Uzu always felt a stirring in his loins when staring at her. He knew too, that he could have her any time he wanted. But, he never acted upon that knowledge. No, there was nothing appetizing about forcing a woman into bed. He much preferred to make them come to him.

She kept her head low and bowed before him.

"Glad to see you're feeling better Nyra," Uzu said.

As she rose up out of her bow, he cupped her face. Her eyes went wide and she froze there. He couldn't tell if it was terror or desire that forced her body to shake, but he held his hand there staring into her cold blue eyes for a long moment.

"Never fail me again," he said, his voice smooth and cold. "Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes Lord Uzu," she muttered.

He leaned close and pecked her cheek with a kiss. Still close, he whispered into her ear. "Good."

She slinked away, taking a seat at one of the free consoles. He watched her out of the corner of his ey. She seemed tense and that meant he was getting to her-good.

"Lord Uzu, I'm picking up a burst of hyperspace radiation," the radar officer said.

"They're jumping," Lord Uzu said.

"Check all possible nav-computer resolution points. I want to know where they might be headed next."

"Running projections now-sir," the navigation officer said.

The entire bridge crew were silent. He loved their silence. That meant fear. He had seen crews before that talked and chatted amongst each other, making the time pass and building camaraderie. Not aboard his ship though. The fear kept them focused on their tasks, not on distractions. They were far more efficient that way and if there was a battle and some of them died, the others would feel no remorse and their performance would not be affected the deaths of their "friends." No, they would keep on doing their jobs regardless of the bodies lying beside them.

"Interesting-" the navigation officer commented.

"Oh?" Uzu replied.

"Sir, it appears that all of the potential jump points are within PTO Remnant territory."

"Send the probes out. That is_ very _interesting. Just what are they up to, I wonder?"

"Maybe Amboss wants to hide in plain sight?" Nyra said.

"Unlikely," Kascade replied, his voice cool thunder across the room. "He's probably going to a spaceport so he can trade ships. That would be what I would do."

"An interesting prediction, care to explain Kascade?" Lord Uzu said.

"Well, he knows he's not out of the deep end yet. He doesn't know how closely we've been trailing him. He probably thinks we're a jump or two behind him still. He will abandon the _Blushing Maid_, perhaps even split up his crew. Once they've dispersed, it will be harder for us to track them all. Then, they'll be able to go into hiding again."

"That would be the _smart_ thing to do. But, he lost most of his followers when we attacked his base. He has only a handful left and dwindling resources. I don't think he will abandon his ship, especially with its capabilities. If he goes to a high traffic world, he could elude us without having to swap vessels," Lord Uzu said and tapped his chin. "Plus he's sentimental, he'll keep the ship."

"It will take longer, but we'll find him still," Nyra said. "The galaxy is a small place these days. He can't run forever."

"No, he cannot," Lord Uzu said. "I want you to make a call to all of our contacts in the PTO. Make sure they keep an eye out for the _Blushing Maid_ and report any activity to use immediately. He will curse himself for entering PTO territory by the time this is over. He just made our jobs all the easier," Lord Uzu said.


	21. Crag

#21

_Planet Frieza #37, a.k.a. The Crag_

The city's atmosphere generators were in disrepair. That much was evident by the acidic drizzle that fell from the sky. Not only were the droplets freezing cold, but they also stung Seven's skin-if he left any of it exposed. The Saiyan wrapped himself in his cloak and kept his hood up. His nose and mouth were covered with a thick cloth and he wore goggles over his eyes.

Still drops would land on his cheeks, or in the crease between his sleeve and his gloves. His clothes were soaked with it and beads of moisture would roll down his back and neck-leaving behind a trail of burning.

The city-goers wore hazard suits, helmets, masks-anything to keep their skin from being exposed. Seven didn't know why they even lived like that. Wouldn't it just be better to fix the generators? Amboss said that the PTO Remnant had abandoned The Crag decades ago. Those that were in power now, a handful of provisional governors, cared only about cutting a profit. No one gave a shit about fixing the city. Once the acid mist started melting buildings, the people would move on. Until then, they remained stalwart in the face of negligent odds.

The buildings themselves were constructed out of a glossy black stone and durasteel panels. Rivulets of the acid water flowed down the sides of the buildings, along gutters, and into the sewer ducts. A majority of them were skyscrapers that challenged the gray and dreary heavens for supremacy. Between the skyscrapers, in every nook and corner, the citizens of The Crag had assembled their own city of shanties, shacks, tents, and makeshift structures..

Littering the streets and alleys were merchants, restaurants, and residences all packed tight. It went on like that for countless miles and miles. Each segment of the city, which had been erected in a giant winding canyon, was different and unique. Entire races had their own districts. One thing did stay consistent though, there were holograms everywhere.

They danced in the windows and floated in the air, moving like ghosts through people and things. Seven knew they were illusions, just light projected, but he still found them unsettling. Some were appealing, such as the flickering images of scantily clad females, booze, and local cuisine. They often accompanied wafting smells of searing meats and flowery perfumes.

Despite the temptations, he followed the Captain. The ragged crowds parted naturally as Amboss's led them down cramped walkways and up arcing ramps. He wore a big yellow jacket with a hood and a sort of gas mask over his face. Seven found him kind of funny with his outfit, but his hulking figure was still intimidating enough for others to move out of his way.. First Mate Birne trailed behind Seven, grumbling and complaining about the filth and the smell.

Above them ships and flying taxis zipped by, their engines thrumming. Some moved with reckless abandon, caring not about any local speed limits or laws. Their passing came with resonant sonic booms that vibrated the glass of the buildings and rattled the leaning shanties.

They passed what had once been a park, or so it seemed. The ground wasn't made out of concrete or metal, but soil-which had been reduced to a thick pit of mud. Seven could see there having once been grass and trees there, but the acid would have made those an impossibility.

Everyone seemed to skirt around it, not wanting to get stuck in the mire. In the center of the clearing stood a statue of marble flanked by two acid washed ponds. The statue was of a horned being with armor and a long cape, or at least it seemed so. The features of its face and body had long since been dissolved away by the acid, leaving a smooth but distorted image of who it once represented.

"Lord Frieza," Birne said. "No one dares take it down, even after all these years."

"They fear the dead?" Seven asked.

"It's said he returned from death not once but twice. So, yes they still fear him."

"It's not much further," Amboss replied. "Then we can get out of this damn rain."

The building they arrived at said CENTRAL ARCHIVES OF THE PLANET TRADE ORGANIZATION in gold lettering across the smooth black edifice of the building. Despite all the other buildings, this one looked to be well kempt. No shanties or tents had been erected near it and there were a bunch of expensive looking air-cars docked along the outer rim of the building.

The giant durasteel doors opened with a loud _whoosh_ as they stepped in front of them They were hit with a blasts of hot air from the floor, ceiling, and walls. It dried their clothes and as the stepped into the antechamber, they were presented with a wall covered in metal bins and lockers.

A sign told them to put their protective garments inside in at least a dozen or more languages. The lockers were for permanent employees and the bins for visitors. Two lizard-faced guards stood at a counter, wearing Flexweave armor and blue jumpsuits. They ushered the group over and collected their things.

Amboss didn't seem worried about anyone seeing his face here. Seven didn't quite understand it, but he followed his Captain's lead regardless. Perhaps it was the vast amount of people that lived in The Crag-billions as the nav-computer aboard the _Blushing Maid _said, that made him feel safe. You could really disappear into the crowd, if you wanted.

The building was dimly lit, the floor a black carpet. There were computer consoles everywhere, as well as racks containing the classical kinds of books as well paper records in folders. As they moved along the hallways, he spotted entire rooms filled with clerical workers, tapping away at their keyboards.

"Didn't you say the PTO abandoned this place? There's so many people working here still."

"By abandoned I meant they no longer put any effort in this place. But, believe me they still collect their taxes. What do you think this place is? It's a library, hall of records, and a bureaucrat's dream," Amboss said as they stepped onto an elevator.

The elevator brought them up several dozen stories to a large glass atrium. They were above the clouds, because Seven could see the hazy amber sky and the local star's gentle green light peering through, sending fragments of light glittering across the glass.

The retainers along the path were lined with trees and other flora, including flowers. They left a pleasant smell in the air, an improvement over the wreckage of the city. People from an assortment of species wore crisp pressed gray suits and moved about this area with their chins raised high. The gray suits only gave the three cursory glances, noses wrinkled with disgust and eyes rolling at them.

The office they entered had a nice view of the clouds. A Rhondorian with deep ruby red skin and a girth at least three times larger than Amboss sat at a desk. Instead of a gray suit he wore a sort of robe or a toga, which hung lazily on one side of his robust frame. He had four chins, that Seven could decipher from the blob of his face, and his beady black eyes peered out with curiosity.

"You shouldn't have come here cousin," he said upon seeing Amboss. "I know that Lord Uzu is hunting you. If he finds you have been here he will come asking questions. And, I will give him all the answers he seeks. I agreed I would help you, but I never agreed I would keep your secrets."

"Thanks for the warning. I knew that before I came here," Amboss replied, shrugging as he stepped up in front of his bulbous cousin.

Seven never thought the Captain to be a small person, but in this moment he looked rail thin.

"What do you want then Amboss? Ledgers, more shipment and trade routes? I gave you everything before. You've put it to good use, I've seen."

"No Paypa, I've come for a different sort of information," Amboss said and took a seat across from him on a stool. "These are my two crewmates. Birne here, you're familiar with. This is Seven, he's a young Saiyan I picked up and is my new muscle."

Paypa's beady eyes widened. "S-Saiyan?"

"In the flesh," Seven responded, followed by a grin.

Paypa seemed to shift uncomfortably in his big chair. He stared for a long minute at Seven before he gaze rested upon Amboss. "You know, reports have it that Dodoria was killed by Prince Vegeta before Namek's destruction. Saiyans are not hounds that are easily controlled."

"Seven isn't a hound, he's my friend," Amboss said.

**"**Better watch your tongue though, I may bite," Seven added.

Paypa winced and swallowed hard.

Seven had grown used to playing the game. He really didn't have to do much. A word, a phrase-sometimes just a cold stare. But, that was playing the part of the muscle. He usually never had to fight anyone. Most people backed down once they heard what he was.

"What information can I get you then?" Paypa said.

"I want everything Lord Frieza had on the Repository of the Gods."

Paypa started laughing, his big jiggly chest heaving up and down. His laughter was shrill and Seven found himself frowning after a moment of it. Amboss kept his patience, waiting for the fit to end. Seven didn't know how he could be so calm sometimes, when dealing with people like Papya. They were so infuriating. Showing them respect at times seemed like an insult to one's pride.

"I'm serious," Amboss said.

Papya wiped the tears away from his eye with a finger thick as a sausage. "You are a funny person. Just what do you intend to do with such information?"

"Find the place. Get the treasure."

"You hope that you can pay off Lord Uzu?"

"That's my business. Get me the information."

"That trail went cold decades ago. A few have tried to pursue after it. The place is a myth, nothing more. What makes you special?" Papya said.

"You know better than anyone Paypa that I'm one of the best navigators this galaxy has ever seen," Amboss said.

That was the first time that Seven ever heard Amboss brag about anything about himself. He did brag about his crew a lot, and about how well they completed jobs. But, he had nothing but humble words to say about himself. That made the claim even more chilling The more Seven thought about it, the more it made sense. They were rarely ever lost. Amboss was always correcting jump coordinates, seemingly at a whim. They had also been outrunning Lord Uzu and his superior ships for days on end.

"A fair point-but I think you'll need more than space chart savvy to find this place. It's hidden for a reason, if it does exist at all," Papya said.

"Get me the information," Amboss said.

Papya made a call to one of his servants and they waited. Seven felt himself getting antsy the longer they stayed in the PTO building. Just when would someone notice one of the most wanted criminals in PTO history was sitting in one of their offices? When would the guards arrive?

_The real question is, when will you fight?_ The King's voice said in the back of his mind.

_I don't want to fight._

_Always lying to yourself. Always about your one __**true**__ nature._

Just as Seven shrugged off the voice, the door opened and a little android with treads and a big swiveling eye rolled in. It produced a small crystalline diskette, offering it to Papya with its arm. Papya took it and held it up.

"I give you this and the debt is settled. I'm rid of you and your implications," Papya said.

The robust Rhondorian held it out and Amboss reached, stopping for a moment and staring him straight in the eye.

"Your debt will only be settled if we make out of this building with no trouble," Amboss said.

"Very well," Papya said. "You have my agreement that you will make it out of this building unharmed."

Amboss took the diskette and rose from his seat, facing Seven and Birne with a stern expression. "Let's move."


	22. Cover

_Hello everyone!_

_I bring to you a bonus chapter for this week. There will still be one on Sunday as well. I missed a chapter last week, so it's only appropriate that I catch up. I hope you all enjoy._

* * *

#21

Seven felt confident that they would be ambushed on the way out. But, their passage went unobstructed, as they actually melded into the droves of bureaucrats and researchers scurrying about the place. At the bottom floor, the guards were cordial with them and the were allowed to collect their protective gear in the antechamber.

Once donned, the giant front doors slid open and the outside was free to them. Seven, Amboss, and Birne stepped into the rain once again.

That was when things changed. Just a little while ago, the outside of the archive building had been a bustle of activity. Now it the grounds were vacated. Seven's eyes scanned the skies and he saw no ship or air car traffic either. The entire area held an eerie quiet.

"They've cordoned off the area. That means trouble is coming," Amboss said.

Dozens of soldiers descended, stopping in the air just above them. The soldiers were clad in heavy Flexweave armor and had bulky multi-chambered arm blasters. Seven had never seen equipment like it before. These were more than likely some sort of shocktroopers, or elite soldiers. All of their gear was a dull matte gray and they wore helmets with reflective visors to conceal their faces-unlike the typical colorful PTO uniforms.

They leveled their weapons in a smooth unison, a telltale sign that they were well trained and drilled. Seven noticed behind the group soldiers were dozens of disc shaped robots. The machines hummed as they floated into position on the flanks, leveling mini-gun style turrets down at the trio.

The crowd parted and one of the robot discs flew forward, projecting a hologram of Papya's face.

"You agreed that we would be able to leave with no trouble," Amboss said.

"You left the building unharmed. That was what I agreed to do. But, you can't expect me to just let you walk away? I won't be your accomplice, not over some stupid debt."

"Stupid debt? Papya, I saved your damn life. You sit cozy and fat because of me. You know, I just didn't want to make a mess in your city. Looks like you're leaving me with no choice," Amboss said and cracked his knuckles.

"If you turn yourself over without any violence, the Saiyan and Segalid are free to go, if they wish. They're not of any interest to me," Papya said through the projector.

_Segalid, so that's what Birne's race is called,_ Seven thought. He probably could have asked the First Mate a long time ago, but he never felt like it was an appropriate question.

"This lot will be short work. We have your back Captain," Birne said.

"No," Seven said. He pushed past Birne and stepped in front of Amboss. "I'll take care of them. You two get back to the ship. If we all hang around fighting that only will buy them time for reinforcements. Maybe even Lord Uzu."

"You're right Seven. But, I don't feel right leaving you," Amboss said.

Seven grunted. "I'm the _muscle_. Let me do my _muscle_ thing.."

"Very well. Let's go then Birne. Seven says he's got this, we'll trust him with it."

"I almost feel bad for _them_ though," Birne quipped as the two dashed away.

The crowd of soldiers and disc robots turned, aiming their weapons on the fleeing duo.

"Hey!" Seven shouted. "I'm your opponent, not those two."

Their blasters whirred as charged up to for a shot at the First Mate and the Captain. Instead of letting them get the jump, Seven thrust his hand forward and unleashed a crackling beam of white spirit energy.

The beam cut a swath through the crowd. Its energy crackled through the sky, engulfing soldiers and machines. Those unaffected flew back, away from the torrent of energy. Seven relinquished the beam a moment later. Hunks of metal and limp bodies tumbled onto the ground in a long line.

Recognizing the new threat, they aimed at Seven and fired a volley in unison. Hundreds of energy rounds peppered the ground where Seven once stood, having moved away a split second before. He reappeared among the soldiers, grabbing two by the tops of their heads.. He smashed them together, enjoying the loud crunch of their helmets caving in.

The soldiers and robots nearest to him backed away and others swept around, forming a ring around him. They had him boxed in, or at least they thought they did.

It was advantageous for Seven, regardless. The Saiyan let his spirit energy flood his entire body. Ghastly white wisps escaped out of his pores, forming into a steady beating flame. Once he has a substantial amount of power coursing out of him, he drew the power back in, violently pushing it out in a single pulse.

The glittering energy rippled outward in a shock wave.

Soldiers and robots were sent flying by the shockwave. Windows in all the nearby buildings, including the archives, blasted inward. Shards of glass showered the streets. For a moment all Seven could hear was the blaring of alarms.

The burst of energy had done a great deal of damage, but Seven had barely even exerted himself. He couldn't imagine just how bad it would have been if he hadn't held back.

_This is a city of filth. You should have leveled it with all your power and left behind nothing more than ashes,_ the King's voice said.

_And kill millions of innocent people? For what?_

_For being weak,_ the King continued. _For living in their own refuse and begging at the heels of tyrants and murders for scraps. You could be the cleansing flame._

The surviving soldiers and machines flew back towards him from random directions. Bolts sizzled past. One smacked him on the cheek and exploded, forcing his head to jerk hard to the side.

He grabbed an errant robot and tore it in half with both hands. Black smoke and whirring parts sputtered as he discarded the scraps. More blasts crashed into him and he held his position, soaking them up. They burned through his cloak, but his aura absorbed most of the destructive force from reaching his flesh. Even so, they still stung.

Not wanting to sit there and take the blaster fire all day, Seven disappeared from sight. He reappeared behind one of the soldiers, taking them out with an elbow strike between the shoulders. Two nearby soldiers descended upon him, their free hands balled into fists. Their pitiful punches hurt less than their blaster shots, nothing more than dull thuds against his body. Seven punched one, their visor exploding into plastic shards and kicked the other, doubling him over and sending him plummeting into the side of a building.

_They are not a challenge for you. You won't' be satisfied_, the King's voice prodded.

_This isn't satisfying, you're right. But, the purpose isn't to sate my curiosity for a challenge. It's to help my friends._

_Those weaklings are holding you back._

A deep humming sound brought his attention to the left. There he saw a dark cloud moving towards him. As it grew nearer he realized that it was thousands of the disc shaped robots, all moving in clustered formations. As they got into range, their turrets unleashed a hellish rain of blaster fire.

Seven knew that such a volume of energy might be enough to overwhelm even someone with his level of powerl. His aura flashed around him as he sped downwards, the blasts arcing over the top of him, a few grazing his back and side. The took cover behind one of the buildings on the other side of the street from the archives. There he grabbed hold of a metal panel on the wall and tore it off, slinging it in front of him like a shield.

With the the hunk of metal protecting him, he charged at the crowd. Hundreds of bolts pelted the metal, most glancing off. The direct hits formed smoking dents and divots in its surface. The metal panel grew hot to the touch and before long the front began to melt, droplets of superheated metal splattering into the ground below. Seven knew it wouldn't last much longer, so he chucked the panel into the crowd, taking out a dozen or more machines, before spinning away.

The Saiyan cocked both arms back, summoning a vast amount of crackling spirit energy into his fists. With a roar he began to pump his arms so fast they were a blur. Hundreds of energy blasts sped away from his hands, colliding with robots and exploding. One robot exploding triggered others to explode, creating a chain of annihilation. Before long it was raining burning burning metal.

Seven coughed and hacked on the thick smoke and fire that filled the air. His arms slumped, droplets of sweat coursing down his face. Unfortunately for him, the sweat mixed with the acid rain and scalded his flesh, leaving behind lines of pain as it trickled.

"I told them that they could send a million of those things at you and it wouldn't matter," a familiar voice said.

The voice was smooth and cold. Seven's eyes widened and he whipped around. Kascade floated in the air behind him, both arms crossed. He looked a good deal different since their last encounter. The Aestrulian no longer wore flamboyant clothes. Instead, he had donned dreary gray and black armor. His long curly hair had been cropped short and his bushy mustache reduced to a thin line.

Beside him was the same girl, the assassin that had snuck up on Seven and tried to garrote him.

"What's the matter?" the female said. "Look like you've seen a ghost."

"Are we not ghosts Nyra?" Kascade said and chuckled.

"You're both alive," Seven said.

"Yes. I am alive. Unfortunately for you, Saiyan," the girl said.

Seven realized that a stinging pressure was coming from his shoulder and glanced at it. A knife stuck out of it, buried to the handle. It was a strange thing, the way it just protruded there in his flesh. A circle of red began to seep out around the entry point. He curled his fingers around the handle and yanked it out. The lancing pain of it exiting his flesh was even worse than the entrance and he felt his jaw clench hard. He let the knife fall and clatter on the ground below.

Nyra hurled another, this time he caught it out of the air before it struck him. With an grunt of effort he crumpled it in his grip as if the hardened steel it was composed out of was nothing more than tin foil.

"Don't underestimate me," Seven said.

"Oh, we won't," Nyra replied. "That's why we're both here to take you down."

Kascade nodded, his face cold and unchanging. "Saiyans get stronger after every fight. We know that. I struggled to defeat you before and you were _wounded_. You've probably surpassed me by now. As much as my pride doesn't want to admit that, it's the nature of your savage people."

"Stronger after every fight?" Seven asked.

"He doesn't know?" Nyra said, raising an eyebrow.

"Seems he doesn't," Kascade replied. "He was probably one of the lower class kids they sent out to die. Saiyans were cruel bastards."

Seven clenched both fists. He could feel his heart thundering in his chest. It held a steady rhythm, like war drums

He didn't know why, but it still bothered him that the Saiyans had found him unworthy from birth and discarded him like trash. Further more, that feeling was only made worse by the fact that he had failed his mission. In their eyes, he would have been worthy only of death.

But, maybe that was for the best. The Saiyans had died out, destroyed in the peak of their hubris..Seven yearned to rise above it all, to shrug off the mantle of killer and murderer that his own people had put over his shoulders.


	23. Primal

#23

"The dealings with your boss, they're just business" Kascade said. "But, our issue with you, well that's personal. Our boss isn't the most merciful man in the galaxy. The fact that we lost and are still alive after owning up to our loss, shows that he wants us to set things right."

"Sounds like your boss is the one you need to kill, not me," Seven said.

Nyra let out a shrill chuckle. "Kill… Lord Uzu? You must be mad."

The acidic drizzle had turned into a steady downpour. Seven endured the raw pain that wracked all of his flesh. The protective gear was proving useless, having been soaked through.. He unhooked his cloak and tossed it aside, it spiraled into the rubble below.

He glanced back and forth between Nyra and Kascade. He was outnumbered fighting against them. He knew neither of them cared about honor, they wouldn't fight him one on one. Their goal here was to eliminate him. They felt threatened, because of what he was. Seven didn't know if he could beat them both. He had barely defeated Kascade last time and had only done so because of Herm using his Toru Toru.

The Saiyan didn't like thinking about the odds. His stomach lurched and he could feel his throat getting dry. His fingers tingled and twitched.

The longer he floated there, staring at them, the worst his fear got. He had to do something, make a move. If he were going to fight them he needed to isolate them, make it one at a time. Or, he needed to take one down quickly and simply fight the other on even terms. The girl, Nyra, she seemed like the best choice to attack first. She hadn't been too powerful, not that he remembered.

He began to gather energy into his right fist. His arm trembled as it trickled down into his palm. He took in a deep breath, acidic mist burning his throat. If he collected power too fast, his hand would glow and it would be obvious.. For this to work, he had to be subtle.

"What does any of this accomplish?" Seven asked, continuing the conversation as he gathered energy. "Amboss only has a bounty on his head because he helps people. He steals from the tyrants and gives to those who truly need it. The PTO Remnant thinks they can murder and steal planets. How is that any different?"

"Oh-the moral question," Nyra said. "Want to take this one Kascade?"

Seven almost had enough energy. He just needed a little more time. He didn't know if it was subtle enough, but he turned himself sideways, as if he were indifferent to what they were saying.

"Being a Saiyan I think you would understand that in this galaxy, the strong are the ones who deserve to survive. The PTO offers those races that have proven their strength a chance to join them, to become a part of the galactic community. Those that are proven to be weak or have not sufficiently advanced, they are wiped out."

"What about my people, the Saiyans? They weren't weak and they were wiped out. I think the PTO are just a bunch of murderers. They don't even try hard to hide that fact."

Kascande narrowed his eyebrows. "Clearly the Saiyan race wasn't strong enough to stop Lord Frieza from destroying them."

Nyra's amused expression vanished. "He doesn't get it. We're not idealists. It's not our place to change the galaxy We're out to make a profit. You got in the way of that. So now you have to die."

Seven could no longer contain the energy. It started to crackle around his fingertips. He disappeared in a blur of motion and appeared in front of Nyra. He grabbed her shoulder with his opposite hand and slammed the glowing one into her gut.

"You're part of the problem then. I don't think I will regret this," Seven said.

He released the blast into her stomach. The light of the energy escaping his body was so bright he was forced to close his own eyes. Her screams were louder than the humming of the energy and sent shivers down his back.

The light receded and there was nothing more than falling ash and rain where she once floated. He glanced around at the ground below, trying to figure out where her body went. He didn't see it anywhere. Could he have-

Seven was clobbered by Kascade, a fist smashing him in the side of the face.. His head snapped sideways and spittle flung out of his lips. The force of the blow carried him down and he plowed into the street. The concrete caved in and he sunk into the sewers. His impact formed a wide crater and displaced acidic water in a giant ring. A moment later, as he laid there, the crater began to fill with it. Seven floated up, rubbing the side of his face.

Kascade's eyes were wide and his mouth agape. "You killed her!"

_I killed her?_ Seven thought.

"You damn Saiyans are monsters. Lord Frieza was in the right putting your kind down like mongrels," Kascade continued.

He glanced down at his hand, the same one he had used to unleash his blast and tear Nyra to smithereens. Sure, he had packed a lot of power into the blast, but it hadn't been all of his power. In fact, he still had most of his reserves left. Had she been that weak that he was able to reduce her to cinders so easily?

_Feel no guilt for your triumph,_ the King's voice said. For some reason his voice was strong this time, a booming presence that he couldn't shake off. _Your power has grown. She was weak, unable to withstand only a scrap of your true strength. Use all the strength you have left to punish the other one._

Seven felt his lips spread into a grin. The emotion coursing through him was different, new. He normally felt a sort of elation, a lust, whenever he was fighting. But, this was a deeper urge, far more primal. It was like thirst or hunger. He wanted more. No, he needed more.

The world around him had been so gray, so bleak before. Now it seemed full of color. Even through the sulfuric stench of the rain, he could smell Kascade's fear. His eyes saw everything in perfect detail, down to the way that Kascade's hands were jittering and the lump in his throat was rising and falling. All from dozens of yards away. The sound of millions of drops of rain entered his ears all at once, but so did the roaring of ship engines and the screaming of scared people left in the rubble.

In that moment Seven became a hunter. His thoughts were torn away from him and replaced with the need to destroy his opponent.

A series of blasts ripped through the air, fired from Kascade. He batted one that almost hit him in the face aside and then flew forth, his aura crackling to life around him, weaving past the others. Moving as a white streak, he slammed his knee into Kascade's ribs. The impact made a sickening crunch. Maybe he had broken one. He sure hoped he had.

Kascade grunted and punched him in the face, not once, but three times. Seven's head lolled back with each blow. But, he steeled himself-the pain fueling his appetite, making him ravenous. His head came crashing down on the bridge of Kascade's nose. Blood squirted out the nostrils as Kascade's head jerked back. The force of the impact sent him rolling through the air. Seven watched as he bounced through several shanties and tents, disappearing into the marketplace.

People let out cries of terror. They fled from their stalls and from the walkways, trying to find some semblance of safety. Part of Seven wanted to cut them down for their cowardice. But, he had a bigger prey still.

He noticed a large metal pipe sticking out of the broken street and grabbed it. With a forceful yank, he tore it out of the ground and lifted it up over his head. It was easily seven or eight times longer and a thousand pounds heavier than he was, but it felt light as a feather. He waited until Kascade removed himself from the snarl of debris and then tossed it at him.

The pipe speared Kascade in the midsection and he disappeared into the mist and the rain. Somewhere far off, Seven heard a loud crash, no doubt where he had made impact with another building.

_When you fought him before you had already lost most of the blood in your body. He defeated Amboss, but against you at your full strength-he never would have stood a chance. Don't you see now, just what you are. Just how pathetic the rest of them are compared to you?_

Kascade returned, his bright fuchsia aura surging around him. He let out a boisterous battle cry. Seven waited for him, unmoving. He let Kascade crash into him. The blow folded Seven onto Kascade's shoulder and drove him back through the sky. They smashed through the wall of the archive building, plowing through books, walls, computer stations. Being out of the rain felt good, if only for a second, until they smashed through the opposite wall and were pulled back into the downpour.

Seven slipped his arm out and sent a heavy punch into the side of Kascade's head. The Aestrulian's momentum worked against him, sending him careening away.

Seven used a pulse of spirit energy to stop himself in midair. Kascade had no such luck, crashing into a skyscraper at full speed.

Seven's shockwave earlier had blown out all of the window glass, fortunately for Kascade. Smoke and dust poured through the gash created by his impact. A moment later, Fuschia shafts of light poured out of each of the empty windows. With a concussive burst Kascade blew up the entire building. Hunks of its edifice and flooring went flying through the air, where it crashed into the street below with a deafening roar.

Kascade floated there in the ruin of the building, surrounded on all sides by bent support struts and sizzling conduits. His face was twisted in rage. Seven smirked and ushered him with a hand motion.

Roaring, Kascade flew back to Seven, but this time he came to a dead stop a few dozen yards from him, his aura flaring bright and hot around him. Dark crimson streamed from his busted nose and had stained his gray armor nearly black.

"This time you won't escape this," Kascade said and sucked back a deep breath. "I _will _annihilate you."

He drew his hand up, fuchsia light and electricity rolling from his fingertips. Seven had a good idea what he intended to do. Last time, Kascade's Ultimate Expanding Wave had been far too powerful for Seven to stop. Herm had to use his Toru Toru to push it back. The Saiyan didn't want to risk dealing with that again. So, he disappeared in a blur of motion to intercept.

When he appeared again, he drove his elbow into Kascade's solar plexus. The blow doubled Kascade over, his collected energy dispersing into the air with a bright flash. He wheezed and his eyes rolled back into his head. Seven spun around the opposite way and sent a heel into the side of Kascade's head with a loud crack.

Kascade hit the busted street like a meteor, driving even deeper into the surface than Seven did a few moments before. Seven followed and retrieved him from the watery tunnel, lifting him up by his armor. He threw the Aestrulian to the ground with great force, shattering concrete. Kascade's eyes flickered open and he started to sit up.

With a roar, Seven drove both his knees into Kascade's chest. He punched the Aestrulian in the face over and over again. The blows rained so fast he couldn't even see his own fists. Blood splashed all over him and the ground. Before long Seven didn't even see what he was hitting anymore, he just closed his eyes and pummeled.

That is, until a smooth deep voice sounded behind him.

"He's dead."

Seven scrambled to his feet, drenched in blood. A strange calm washed over him, his rage culled by that voice. In that moment, he realized what he had been doing. He had lost control, had succumbed to his base instincts. Killing Nyra had triggered something in him, something scary. He took a few steps back and shook his head.

Kascade was obliterated, his face and upper body no longer recognizable, just battered meat, no longer the person that he just had been fighting. Two people dead, both by his hands. The lump in his throat seemed to harden. The Saiyan was shaking so bad he felt as if he might vibrate right out of his clothes. His mouth tasted of coppery blood and bitter acid. His chest was tight and his stomach a cluster of knots. Not from any damage, but from the rage that had permeated his entire body.

"What tremendous strength you have," the new arrival said. "Kascade was a fine apprentice indeed. He learned a great deal from me. But, in the end, he was nothing compared to you, a Saiyan will little training. Its a sad reality."

The newcomer was an Aestrulian as well. He wore black and red robes with armor underneath. Seven could see most of his face was covered in pock marks and scars, indicators that he had been in many fights.

"Who are you?" Seven said.

"You may address me as Lord Uzu."


	24. Recompense

#24

"You're Lord Uzu?" Seven asked.

His hands were shaking. Despite the rain falling from the sky and soaking him to the bone, he felt thirsty. He just wanted a cold bottle of water, real water. His skin was tender and raw from the corrosive atmosphere, but he was fine. In fact, other than a bruise on his cheek he was largely unharmed from his fight against Kascade.

"You seem to be in disbelief. Am I that unimpressive?"

Lord Uzu had been a name spoken with fear among Amboss's crew members. Even Cascade and Nyra had seemed to revere their boss as if he were something great. Admittedly, Seven was unimpressed after setting eyes upon him. Lord Uzu was tall and lean, nothing at all like the brutish god that Seven had imagined. In fact, he was even a bit ugly, at least compared to the other Aestrulians that Seven had encountered in his travels..

"You are not what I was expecting," the Saiyan said.

"Well, we are more than our appearances, aren't we?" Lord Uzu replied. "I am a tad disappointed by you as well. The Saiyan, who defeated my apprentice and my henchmen, is no more than an adolescent. You're not exactly as brutish as I remember Saiyans looking like. Then again, when the Saiyans were still around I was just a boy. "

Seven had come face to face with the enemy. Lord Uzu was the key to it all. If he was put out of the picture, Amboss would no longer be hunted. Sure, their plan had been to find the Repository of the Gods and retrieve treasure from it. Then they were going to use that treasure to pay off Lord Uzu so he would stop hunting them.

It had always been a plan of _desperation_ though.

"That look in your eye," Lord Uzu said and smiled. "I don't like it. Look, kid, I'm not here to fight you. I am upset that Kascade had to die, but it was his pride on the line, and he failed once again. You did me a favor killing him yourself, it would have been too hard for me to do it. I came to talk, that's all."

"You want to talk? Let's talk about how you're going to stop hunting Amboss," Seven said.

"You must understand. It is a profitable hunt, and my reputation on the line if I fail."

The strange battle lust Seven had felt while fighting Kascade started to creep back in. It tainted his mind and he could feel his muscles quiver, yearning to spring into action. If he were to take down Lord Uzu here, they would be free of the threat looming over him.

Seven's fists clenched.

"Settle down. Like I said I do want to talk. I have an-"

Seven moved as a blur, lashing out with a swift right handed punch. It met only air. Lord Uzu had shifted his stance, dropping out of the way at the last moment. Seven threw another punch and a kick, finding only more air.

He flickered from sight and appeared above Lord Uzu, swinging his fist down with all his strength. His fish smashed into the ground, sending a web of cracks spreading outward in all directions.

"Do you know what is the most terrifying thing about Saiyans? It's their battle instinct. Your punches and kicks are near perfect form and you have never had a formal teacher, have you?"

Seven growled and lashed out with a barrage of blows, moving down the crumbling streets. Lord Uzu moved backwards, dipping and weaving around each of the strikes. Seven roared and fired a giant beam of energy that exploded on the side of a large factory, leveling a third of the building. Black smoke rolled up towards the sky.

"You know how to fight and do so with such tenacity,'" Lord Uzu said. "It's admirable."

Growling, Seven fired another blast and then disappeared, tracking Lord Uzu's movements through the sky. He appeared in front of him with a side kick. Lord Uzu flickered from sight and appeared a few dozen yards away, atop of a building, his arms folded in front of him; still unharmed.

"You're fast," Seven said.

His throat was really dry. He just wanted some damn water and to hit the bastard. He gasped for breath and tried to calculate a way he could catch Lord Uzu off guard.

"I'm not moving any faster than you are. In fact, according to my ships scanners, your power level and mine are roughly equal."

"Equal?" Seven said.

"It horrifies me how you can be so strong and know so little. It truly does. I've spent my whole life training and honing my skills, toiling endless hours for tiny fractions of power. Saiyans just have to do some push-ups and suddenly they're gods."

Seven fired another blast, this one packed with an immense amount of power. The entire top of the building Lord Uzu was standing upon exploded in a blinding flash. The shock wave parted the clouds and for a moment the rain stopped. Bits of metal and debris rained into the streets below. Thick smoke concealed Lord Uzu's location. Only his voice made Seven's head snap around.

The Aestrulian bounty hunter floated beside him, arms still crossed and unarmed.

"There's no way that I am as powerful as you," Seven said and shook his head.

Lord Uzu shook his head. "Power has nothing to do with it. Dodging is all about anticipation and perception. I hate to tell you this, but you telegraph everything you're going to do before you do it. You wind up your arm when you punch, you let your energy seep out of your pores just before you blast. You lack necessary control, and you'll never touch someone like me if you don't master yourself."

Seven's aura ripped around him in a bright flash. His anger was the kindle to the flame. White tendrils of it lashed and ripped at the air hungrily. He let the energy surge through him and roared against the ache of the power filling his muscles.

"There little gap between us in the numbers, but how we use our power is different. Your strength is like a wildfire, hot and out of control. It consumes everything and destroys all around it. But, such a raging inferno can't melt through steel. My power is like a thin beam of energy, containing the same amount of energy as the wildfire, but precisely focused. It can punch through the steel and burn a hole in the earth, leaving everything around it undisturbed. You see the difference there, in that analogy?"

Seven concentrated all the power he could into his fist, until it was going white and crackling. Bolts of electricity unfurled from his arm, scattering into the air all around him.

He flew at Lord Uzu carrying the vast amount of power in his hand behind him. As he neared, he thrust it forward. He did his best to make it seem like he was going to unleash another blast. But, this time he solidified the energy, using it to reinforce his fist to try and plow straight through the Aestrulian.

Lord Uzu caught his wrist turned his arm sideways. Seven couldn't withdraw the power and released in a bright flash and surge of electrical power across the sky, rippling outward through the rain.

"A nice deception and a deadly attack, but still so damn crude. Are you done with this tantrum so we can talk?" Lord Uzu said.

Seven's body ached and his chest heaved as he gasped for air. He had expended a lot of energy in his futile assault. He yanked his fist. Uzu let it go without any resistance. Seven floated down and landed on the busted street, Uzu followed and took a position across from him. The Saiyan couldn't help but slump. He had felt a moment of confidence after defeating Kascade, only to now have it ripped away.

"What do we have to talk about?" Seven asked.

"Your plan, of course."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play stupid Saiyan. You and your boss came here seeking information. What were you after? Why would Amboss risk getting caught, unless he perceived a way to get out of this predicament? I don't foresee him turning himself in and he can't run forever."

Seven sighed. "We're seeking a way to pay you off, a treasure."

"Oh, pay me off? It would have to be a substantial amount, to even match the bounty. Even then, that does not recompense the loss of my reputation from failing to catch Amboss. So, it would have to be even more than that," Lord Uzu said and tapped his chin.

"He definitely seemed deep in thought. "You know, I don't necessarily disagree with Amboss's ambitions; you know stealing from rich tyrants and giving to the poor and weak. I've never been in favor the whole genocide of weaker species, that was Lord Frieza's thing.

"What I am saying is, I could get behind this little plot of yours. I just need to know one thing, Saiyan. What treasure does your captain have in mind?"

Seven frowned. "I don't kn-"

"Don't play stupid. Why not tell me? You have nothing to lose at this point. I am not a treasure hunter, and have no interest in spending my precious time seeking treasures. But, I do enjoy making money. This could be a sort of investment for me. If all else fails, I could just turn Amboss in anyways. So, tell me, what sort of treasure does your crew seek?"

"Amboss is going after the Repository of the Gods," Seven said.

"Ah," Lord Uzu said a wide grin spreading across his face. "Lord Frieza's lost treasure. You know, if there was anyone who could have found such a thing it would have been him. He had endless resources and a giant fleet at his disposal. He would have sought it out with reckless abandon. But, he got sidetracked and was killed, so sad, isn't it?"

"I don-" Seven started to say.

"A rhetorical question, never mind it. I think that this could be very interesting for both Amboss and myself, if he can find those legendary treasures. So, I'm going to let him go. He has a Galactic Standard Month to find the treasure and bring it back. If he does, he will have his freedom."

"Just like that?" Seven asked, his eyebrow perked.

"Your suspicion is warranted. But, I am a simple person. I enjoy profit and money."

Lord Uzu floated into the air and turned his back to Seven. The Saiyan felt the power in his body flood out of him, his aura fading until it was gone. He had exerted a lot of energy and power, only to make an embarrassment out of himself. But, at least he had found out from Lord Uzu himself that paying him off was an option. That would give Amboss hope. If only they could find the treasure.

"One last thing. Hah-I am quite the talkative bastard, aren't I?" Lord Uzu said and shook his head. "You should learn to focus your power. There's a lot of potential there. You're wasting it."


	25. Shadows

#25

_DEAD END STATION, DEEP SPACE_

The crowd inside the cantina pressed into Seven from all sides. There were all sorts of species there, large and small. The Saiyan squeezed his way through, bumping and colliding with bodies until he found an opening near the bar. He realized, once he was out of the mass of bodies, that people were gathered around a large monitor that hung from the ceiling. It streamed a cast of some sort of insectoid creatures battling in an arena. It was a gruesome display of flying chitin and spraying green ooze.

Papers and credit chips flew from the crowd as one of the insectoids finished off another. There was a boisterous roar from the victors and heavy scowls and boos from the losers.

The place smelled of sweaty bodies and piss. He was sure there was a puddle of it under one of the tables. Those that weren't into the betting were too drunk to do so, leaning in their chairs or slumped against the wall. One fat lizard alien was upside down, his legs in the air, fast asleep in the corner.

He found a stool at the counter and sat down. The bartender was a Segalid with one eye and a trio of large scars from his cheek down the back of his oblong head. It looked like he had been clawed by some giant beast.

"What do you want?"

"Some liquor, strongest stuff you got," Seven said.

The bartender's brow rose and he chuckled. "You even old enough to drink?"

"Didn't see a sign outside that said no young people. I'm good on the credits," Seven said.

He produced a silver chip from the small pocket on the inner seam of his body armor and waved it in the air. The bartender shrugged and poured him a clear liquid from an unmarked bottle and slid it over.

"It's not for the faint of heart," the bartender said and slinked off to help another patron.

Seven lifted the glass and took a sniff. The burning alcohol tantalized his nostrils and felt himself suppressing a cough. He brought it to his lips and slammed it back. The burn coursed down his throat and filled his belly. Seven's gut wanted to retch the vile booze back up, but he forced it down and held it there with his will, forcing his body to submit.

After a moment he felt a strange ease go over him. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the bar and let his whole body relax.

It had been a stressful week, on the run from Lord Uzu. But, that hadn't been as bad as what had happened to him in The Crag. Seven had lost control there, and had done the one thing he had been avoiding for so long. Guilt and shame wracked him. He couldn't sleep and had kept to himself in his quarters.

Herm and Birne had come to visit him a few times and check up on him, but he didn't say much. They wouldn't truly understand. They were the sorts that would have told him to not worry about it, that they would have killed Seven if he hadn't killed them first.

Seven knew in his heart that he wouldn't have had to kill them. It was his lack of control, as Lord Uzu, had pointed out to him-that had been his downfall. He still couldn't figure out how he was supposedly just as strong as Lord Uzu, yet he couldn't touch him.

The more Seven thought about it all, the worse his head got and he found himself going to sleep more often than naught. Being a recluse within his quarters on the _Blushing Maid_ was no different than his cell back on Sorn. In fact, it had brought him a measure of comfort.

But, he also knew that he couldn't hide forever. He would have to fight again. When he did, he just hoped he could hold back that side of himself. Seven wanted to be above that primal feeling, that bloodlust. He had felt so confident he had stripped himself of it.

_You can't hide from what you are,_ the King's voice said. _You're a Saiyan. No matter how many weak fools you run around with, you'll always be more than them._

_How do I rid myself of you?_

_You can't, I am an integral part of you, put into your brain before you were even a person. You were just a baby._

_All you do is tell me to hurt people. But, you have no real answers to the questions I ask. How do I control my power, how do I become as skilled as Lord Uzu._

The voice had no answer. Seven raised his hand and ordered another drink. The liquor went down easier this time, but his mind seemed to drift deeper into troublesome thoughts. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder, a cursory glance showing rough purple skin. Amboss plopped down on the stool beside him and rested his elbows on the counter.

"The ship should be stocked up and fueled in an hour or so," he said.

Seven nodded. The bartender filled his glass again.

"I'll have what he's drinking," Amboss said.

A moment later the bartender set a glass down for Amboss. Seven went to lift his glass and Amboss plopped his hand on his arm.

"Hold," he said and lifted his own glass. "Let's make a toast."

"A toast?" Seven asked.

"Yes, to finding the legendary Repository of the Gods, where so many have failed," Amboss said.

Their glasses clinked together and both downed their drinks. Amboss's face went sour and he busted into a fit of coughs. He regained himself after a moment and shook his head side to side.

"Damn kid, that's some strong stuff. I didn't know you were such a serious drinker," Amboss said.

Seven couldn't help but chuckle at that. The Captain always had a way of cheering him up, even in the darkest of his moments. Amboss was in many ways a simple person. He was devoted and unyielding. Seven wished he could be more like Amboss, so free of guilt and doubts. Then again, perhaps he did have some. Everyone did it seemed. Just some handled such things differently than others.

"Well, Herm said that with my Saiyan metabolism I need to drink harder stuff than normal," Seven said.

"We Rhondorians don't grow hair on our bodies, but as the Aestrulians say, it will put hair on your chest," Amboss said shaking his head some more.

The bartender returned but Seven dismissed him. He didn't want to drink too much. The warm buzz he was feeling was enough for now.

"I wanted to thank you," Amboss said.

"For?" Seven replied.

"You bought us time down on The Crag. Also, you managed to divert Lord Uzu's attention for now. Bought us even more time to find this treasure."

"I really didn't expect Lord Uzu to go along with it," Seven said. "I think that he's more curious than anything else. He said he will never yield hunting you, but if we pay him he might actually consider it."

"He does have a reputation of being fair," Amboss said. "I haven't heard of him double crossing anyone. A person's word, in this wild space we live in, is their reputation and their legacy. Lord Frieza was notorious for following his words and threats through with resounding force. Thus he was feared and revered by many."

"I just wish I could have stopped him," Seven said and shook his head. "I just wasn't skilled enough to take him down."

"You did enough. Leave this part to me. Remember, I'm the one he's hunting. I am grateful everything you've done so far. It won't be long and I'll be free and we can go back to the way things used to be," Amboss said.

"You seem confident that we'll find it. Did you figure something out?"

Amboss chuckled. "As you know, Lord Frieza had a giant fleet and billions of soldiers at his disposal. He would have found the Repository eventually, but at a great cost I think. He was mapping and charting the sector in space that it was rumored to be in. The information Papya gave me had plenty of maps of the area. But, I could have found those anywhere. The useful information was the legends and lore about the place. Typically only the chosen and worthy are allowed to visit. As well as those that discover an artifact from the supposed gods.

"That in itself is fine and dandy. Maybe if we found such an artifact one of the messengers would come to us requesting we bring it there. I thought initially about trying to maybe trick one of the messengers to visit us. That was before I found an early spacer's travel log, one who claimed to have been invited to the Repository to garner great knowledge. He spoke of it being a great library with halls of treasures and vaults deep below ground. It's not only a repository of physical items, but also of knowledge. He said that he made a vow that he would never tell the location of it, at least not directly.

"He said that for any that seek the place, he would only say one thing. That it could be found between the shadow of two stars."

"That's vague. There's usually only empty space between two stars," Seven said.

"Well, I thought a lot about it. It was no wonder that Lord Frieza dismissed his claims, or at least ignored that part. It makes no sense. If you look at it literally. I think that instead what we have is a metaphor," Amboss said.

"Maybe, but aren't there thousands of stars in the sector that Lord Frieza was mapping," Seven said.

"Two hundred and forty thousand stars to be exact. At least seventy five thousand of them are binary stars. But, the more I got to thinking about it, I came to think perhaps the word shadow is key here. Space is a shadowy place, but there is but one shadow that you can't see, at least not forthright-a black hole," Amboss said.

"So you think it's referring to a black hole between two stars?" Seven replied.

"Yes and of all seventy five thousand stars in that sector, just one pair was found to have a black hole between them," Amboss said.

Seven leaned back on his stool and rested his hands on his thighs. He felt a leap of excitement in his gut, and it wasn't the liquor. He had begun to think that the possibility of finding the place was small, a shot in the dark as they said. Amboss proved his navigational genius and for the first time since his encounter with Lord Uzu, Seven had a glimmer of hope.

"Going near a black hole will be tricky. Could there really be a planet there?"

"You would be surprised," Amboss said. "There have been quite a few planets discovered near black holes, sitting at the edge of disaster. I mean, it seems a foolish place to put a place to store legendary artifacts. But, at the same time, not many people go near black holes looking around for such things either."


End file.
